Wednesday 24 December 2014

my Christmas wish for you...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

My Christmas wish for you is simple,
and deeply heart-felt:

May you encounter the God who has always loved you 
with a relentless, unconditional and passionate love:
may you encounter Jesus
as you never have before.

I wish you every joy, happiness and peace this Christmas. 



With love,
 Silvia

Supplies used:
  • art journal
  • acrylic paint
  • paper napkins
  • tissue paper
  • washi tape
  • Pitt XS black marker
  • Jelly Roll white maker
  • DecoArt Snow-Tex medium
  • water soluble pencil




Monday 15 December 2014

Treasures from the Oregon Coast

Memories ... 
our trip to the west coast of the United States
was packed with sweet memories
I have been making a photo book 
in hopes of capturing some of the beautiful times
we shared together.

One of our favourite places was Indian Beach, in Ecola State Park.
The beach was stunning and picturesque, 
and the shifting tide allowed us to spend hours
getting lost exploring tide pools.

Being a homeschool mom, 
I couldn't help but prepare for this much anticipated event,
and I found some tide pool I.D. charts online
{you can see them pinned them here}
I laminated them {to waterproof}
and handed them out before we left home.
The charts came with us to the tides pools,
and were so helpful in identifying the treasures we saw.

From sea stars and anemone to chitons and barnacles,
here are some of our
tide pool treasures...


Here they go, with their tide pool ID sheets, ready to explore! 

Thank you Indian Beach!
Silvia

Thursday 4 December 2014

the process

It is very exciting to have my art being exhibited at Oh So Good Cafe.
I thought I'd share a bit of what goes into creating a mixed media piece,
and then blogging about it.

I have hundreds {honestly, thousands I'm sure}
of pictures that I take for blogging 
that never  actually make it onto my blog.
Sometimes, I simply didn't have the time
to get a blog post ready
{it takes a good chunk of time}
and quite frankly,
sometimes,
what seemed like a great idea one day,
just didn't have the same appeal the next day.

A lot of the first steps happen in my thoughts
{I often lay in bed seeing images of what I could create ...
oh! if i could just snapshot those paintings in my brain!}
I do a lot of thinking before I start a piece.

And then I...
I sketch it out, 
play with it,
do background work, 
and layering,
drying time {which I usually rush along with dryer},
paint, paint and more paint!
I often add watercolour or ink
as one of my top layers,
I highlight with a white pen or marker, 
{my favourite pen to date: Uniball Signo},
I create shadows,
splatter paint {on purpose}
and sometimes, 
I doodle at the very end.
I nearly always I take pictures,
{alone, or with help from my man}

And then, sometimes, I blog about it. 

Here is a peak, taken from various paintings:

 {drawing stage of a watercolour}

 {first layer of mixed media, drying paint}

 {collage, more paint, stamping, spraying, dripping, adding wash tape ... I'm almost always on the floor by now}

{another background in process}

{inks for one of the top layers}

{photo shoot}

{Tim, helping me out}

{me, taking some pics}

Stay tuned! I am planning to soon blog about some
useful background-making supplies!

Silvia

Tuesday 18 November 2014

oh let's be adventurers!

Wow, it has been a while since I've blogged!

During the month of October,
my family and I ventured on a trip down 
the west coast of the United States, 
from Seattle, WA to Huntington Beach, CA.

The trip was a healthy mix of vacation, art and ministry.
and we had a really special time together.

If you have seen the Oregon coast, 
the Redwood forests,
or the Big Sur in California,
you will likely agree with me when I say that 
"spectacular" seems to be a weak word to describe those places.
Perhaps, "awe-inspiring, heart-stirring, magnificent and dramatically spectacular"
would better describe the beauty that sits on the west edge of the continent.
Okay, okay ... I'll stop.

In truth, I am always so drawn to the ocean, 
and I miss it when I've been away from it for too long.
The sheer majesty, the relentlessness of it
communicates deeply to my soul.

I saw a t-shirt once that said,
"adventure is a family value".
I think I'd like to get that t-shirt!

Here are a few of my favourite scenes.

May you be inspired.


May your days be filled with joy and inspiration!
Silvia



Monday 29 September 2014

exciting news!!

Whew! Its been a busy few months, 
but I did it!

In a few days we are heading out on a 4 week ministry trip/vacation.
{I'm very excited!}
And I had set some goals for myself,
somethings I wanted to accomplish before we left...

I wanted:
 • to get 7-9 paintings completed,
• open up shop in a few on-line art stores
{sorry Esty, you didn't make the cut this time}
• and put some effort into having my art displayed locally.

Whoo-hoo!
I'm so excited to announce that 
I did it!!

I will be displaying my art at 
{downtown, on York St)
during December and January!
Please stop by to see it
{and get one of their incredible desserts}

And, you can now buy my art on-line at:
and
{check out the link to Society6 to the right of this text}

I have hashtaged on instagram
#meetinggoalsfeelsgood
It really does feel good!
If you would like to follow me on instagram
{and see lots of pictures of our upcoming adventure!}

Here is a sample of what you will find for sale in my on-line stores.
I will update it regularly.


Thanks for being a part of this exciting journey with me!
Silvia

Thursday 11 September 2014

a little gallery

I thought I'd post a little gallery 
of some recent art work 
{exploration, really.}
Some of them are in my art journals,
and few are hanging up on my 
inspiration wall.

{If you follow me on instagram,
you'll have seen some of these already.  
If you'd like to follow me, 
you can find me at:

One of the major lessons I have learned 
is to 
Just. Let. Go.
{Elsa was right on that}
Art doesn't flow when you are worried about perfection.
Art flows when you release yourself
to the process.
So, the good, the bad and the messy
Are all a beautiful part of it.

I hope you enjoy browsing,
and feel inspired to explore
in your own world,
with the things you love to do.


Silvia

Saturday 30 August 2014

silent but productive // beautiful time

Hi Friends,
I know I have been fairly quiet on my blog 
these past few months, 
but it's not because I haven't been creating.

I've created some goals for myself 
that I am working towards,
and while I love to share what I've been doing,
blogging does take a good time commitment.

So, with the full life I have
{we all have full lives, don't we}
I have allotted that time to other things.

{I have been reading a great book
by Harold Eberle in which he describes 
time
in the most beautiful, 
meditative  manner.
I can't do it justice here,
but it is shifting my whole viewpoint.
I will say that I am learning
that I am not in a race against time;
  it is a gift from a loving God
that is partnering with me
to accomplish my dreams and destiny.}

Here is a sample 
of what I've been creating lately.
I may still add a bit of text
beside her, about her.

{**I plan to show more,
and make some announcements
in the near future!!**}


Thanks for reading, and for your support.
Silvia