Saturday 25 March 2017

how do you find the time...what makes you happy

Something I get asked a lot is when do you have the time to paint? From the mouth of babes "mommy paints when baby is asleep".
If I could I would paint all day. I constantly have ideas and can't wait to go home and paint. When I am out and I get inspired, so I then take photos of what inspires me and this get used as reference or inspires an idea! Some nights yes I totally pass out at 9, I'm a parent of three, I'm busy and exhausted, some nights I spend time with my partner binge watching something great on netflix. And then there are my paint nights! The hardest part of anything is getting started, you are tired you have a list of excuses of things you could do, and should do. I absolutely love my time painting and did ever since I was a shy kid with no money, that instead of canvas I would paint on my old jeans in my bedroom, or sketch of scraps of paper my dad brought home from work. I'm now 36 and after life changing events of the last few years, I am so happy to see every sunrise and sunset, I can't wait to paint anything that inspires me, that catches my breathe, or makes me pause and be mindful. When I pick up a paint brush and start to paint I get lost in colour, in light and shadow, on shilouttes, on if i captured what I wanted to. Does it feel right, what's missing, am I going to make a happy little accident along the way? Or is this piece for the scrap pile? I don't think about bills, appts, everyday stresses of life, I get so focused on what I am creating, it really is something magical that you can lose yourself in, before you know it minutes turn into hours... Do I wakeup tired after, sure, of course, sometimes, but often I wakeup happy, because I created something, something that I created with my hands. Sometimes I create something I truly love, or something that I can't wait to get back to and finish, sometimes I created a mess, something that is a stepping stone, a mistake that when I look back at has taught me a lesson and that makes me happy. And I can't wait to do it again.
What do you do that really makes you happy?

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Art Show and website!! busy busy

Ok so I have been super busy, I have been painting like mad and have an art show in just over one week!! On March 30th 2017 from 6-9pm I will be at Port 1 cafe in Port Credit! My artwork is currently on display there and I will be donating 10% of proceeds to SickKids. I am really looking forward to the art show it will be a great night.

I have a new website now as well as I started a Facebook page that I post regularly to. Please check out the following sites:

a shotton.ca
www.facebook.com/AShottonArtist/