Tone

There is so much negative energy out in the world right now. So many people are unable to go to work, meet, socialize or even shop. It’s made me think about communication, especially when it’s not face to face. I’ve been thinking about how I communicate via email. I’ve been messaging my partners and clients and trying to use sincerity and positive words and punctuation. The exclamation mark is something I use often!

I remember working with someone who typed in all CAPS because she didn’t think it would relay a certain tone. Tone, it’s such a delicate thing…relaying tone via written words. Nowadays people communicate with email vs speaking oftentimes. The world has gotten so busy that email just happens to be one of the easiest forms of communication in the workplace. It’s easy to quickly respond to an email and not think about how it comes across.

During this difficult time I’ve been making it a point to actually call people. Whether it be via some form of video chat or just by telephone. I think the human connection is so important and we often forget about that. I feel we are starting to realize the importance of speaking to each other. Not just communicating with an email or a text.

All that being said, I hope everyone is staying safe and strong. Make sure you are communicating with friends and family. Read what you write prior to sending emails or messages. Tone is very powerful at this time.

The Art

I’ve been dreaming about painting. Painting multiple series so that I could do my own exhibit. It all started with my discounting work to just clean out what I haven’t sold yet. Sort of a fresh start. I typically have about a dozen paintings, just sitting around, not hung. I thought they could give someone joy, so why not just sell them for under their value to force myself to start new projects.

My dreams started with an all black and white theme. I paint with acrylics, which is such a versatile medium. You can do dry brush, or water it down to an almost watercolour look. These dream paintings had the watercolour look to them. Like a women’s dress flowing into the air. Or her hair blowing in the wind. There’s a splash of colour, either on her person or in the background….but mostly just black and white.

The second theme is extremely colourful. Mid century modern almost, geometric shapes, beautiful colour. My husband can build frames that really make this concept a reality. The thin frame around an abstract painting really sets its tone. Talking about frames, for a couple years now I’ve been collecting ornate vintage frames and painting an abstract to sit within it. This is also a very cool look, but I’m now very drawn to the cleaner simpler lines of mid century.

So this will be my focus, painting, the art. I say if you dream about something it’s a sign and I won’t let this inspiration go to waste.

Mid century look

Vintage ornate frame with abstract painting.