One Painting at a Time

Hello dear peeps!

I have been spending the last couple of days getting caught up with emails, errands and my writing. It's amazing how things can pile up when you're down and out for the week.  I am so happy to announce that I'm FINALLY feeling better, but I'm still trying to pace myself  and ease my way back into my routine.

Here is a peek of a painting that I finished today.

 I like her. 

She's a mysterious one.

Untitled for now...

I also wanted to share this post that I wrote for Louise Gale's, 

"Your Heart Makes A Difference".

It's about setting loving boundaries and letting go.

Breaking up with friends is hard to do...

Find out why it was all worth if for me.

PS. I 'm dreaming like a machine at night...waking up tired...

I feel like I'm traveling all over the world in my sleep.

I think this is a sign of good things to come! ;)

Have you had any interesting dreams lately?

Pushing Through...

 

 It's finished.

I LOVE this one! I do.

I thought of my sweet Mama as I painted it.

It took forever to complete it.

I've been struggling with the flu since last Monday.

A FULL week of omg, my stomach, my head, I'm dizzy, I'm nauseous... 

Is this EVER going to end???

Oh! I think I feel better. 

OMG. No no no... I need to go lie down. 

I've been spending most of the time in bed working from my computer.

Thursday afternoon I managed to finish this painting.

I'm vertical so far this morning 

and soon will be getting ready to do an interview 

in my super clean studio (thanks MOM).

*more details coming soon*

Wishing you all a great Sunday and hoping you have managed 

to stay away from this debilitating flu going around... 

  I can't wait to be 100% again... Really. I can't.

xox

danielledaniel.com

     Hello kind people.  I have so much to share with you today...  

I have finally committed to changing my domain name for my website.  Ever since changing my last name to Daniel which you can read about here, I have been teetering towards jumping ALL IN with both feet and also changing my website to

danielledaniel.com.

 

Thanks to all the other Danielle Daniels' who did NOT purchase this domain name before I did... (I mean it, thank-you).  It is FINALLY ALL MINE!  While I have MANY reasons for doing this, the main one is that I AM Danielle Daniel. I want this website to encompass ALL OF ME, including my writing.  I guess you can say I'm making room for the writing part of me-the one I have been slowly unraveling... I'm finally ready to own it and this feels SO GOOD!

Please check out the newly revamped website here!

On another note, I wanted to share this wonderful book with you!  I was asked to submit my work for publication and they so kindly dedicated 2 PAGES to my artwork! I'm SO excited to be part of this project.  I hope to show you the layout soon!  This book is available on amazon.com or here.

 And finally...

Here is my latest painting in progress... 

I'm SO looking forward to getting back into the studio to finish this one.

***ONE LAST THING***

I've been receiving many messages and requests to teach-a possible online class... 

 THANK-YOU so much for your interest and encouragement here...  

While I do not have plans to teach such a course in 2012, 

I am thinking very seriously about offering one in 2013. 

I thank-you for your patience and promise you that when it does happen,

 it will be phenomenal! 

I will put everything I have into it,

 but this year I am already committed to many projects already.

PS.  SIX original paintings are now on SALE in the shop! 

PSS. GO BUY YOUR DOMAIN NAME BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES!!!

Much LOVE & gratitude...

A PLAY Day!

Hello sweet community!

I have been painting and painting!

The studio is in total disarray again...  

As I mentioned previously, 

I am now focusing all of my painting time on my SOLO show

 in Quebec city that is taking place in June and July.

I have named this show: 

"La Plume Blanche"

 (The White Feather)

Here is the show description:

“La Plume Blanche” is an exploration into the past where each feminine face brings me closer to my ancestors.  The white feather has always been a symbol of hope and truth for me and now, it has become my guiding light for understanding the many layers of my identity as a Métis woman in today’s Canada.

I took some time out to PLAY yesterday... 

I dressed up and put on some frills with my feathered earrings

and did a self-portrait photo shoot. 

 All these photos were taken yesterday. 

 I put on some of my fave music and just went for it!

 I also painted the backgrounds on these large canvases

 measuring 18 by 24 inches. 

 The colour was just a flying yesterday... 

 I capped off my PLAY DAY with a varsity Basketball Game with Owen and Steve. 

 I also couldn't leave without telling you that I was denied

 my my wine purchase at the liquor store because I didn't have my ID on me...

 (The lady thought I could pass for 19???) 

 HELLO and thank-you! 

 I was totally OK with not taking the wine home.

 I hope you're all having a good weekend. 

 I'm going to steal a few hours of painting 

while the boys play their Saturday morning Video games.

  Happy Weekend! 

 With Love,

The Dark Side...

   As promised, here is a glimpse into my other world...

The one where stories beg to be written.

This is where I put the paint brush down and go even deeper. 

My journey with the written word has been a complicated one.

For years I tried to suppress it, only to be awakened with a fever 

that ended with five typed pages of pure emotion.

Many of you know, I completed a series of twelve short stories last year.

I sat on them for most of the year, wondering if I should continue.

The first draft was complete, but I knew I would have to go even deeper.

I would have to share them with an editor...

I did.  I started.  And then, I stopped.

It was too much. No more please.

They stayed in their folders.

But still, they called me.

They beckoned me to come back to them.

They knew before I did, that it was not over.

So, last December I enrolled in Sarah Selecky`s

Story is a State of Mind

online ecourse... and my friends...

it kind of busted me open again.

OMG!

I realized that much of my writing was summarizing 

over the major and minor events that needed to be shared...

I had not gone there...

I was still shuffling, stalling, ,denying, protecting...

Until now.

 These post-it notes are filled with wise words and tips from Sarah`s course 

that are like little prayers and mantras for me as I write.  This one: 

“You have to feel it-the experience before you write it,”

 has brought me to places I never wanted to go. 

 Where the words written by my hand make me weep from the inside out...  

This is where I am when I`m not painting.  

This is where I go...

This is where I have to go.

(even though some people will never understand why...)

 Sarah encourages us to write all of our first drafts by hand.  

Because writing words is an art form in itself 

and when you are writing with your hand, 

your are more closely connected to your heart...   

My heart and my stories,

they are meant to be shared.  I believe this now with my whole heart.

This is my biggest bad-ass dream...for reals...to share these stories, to set them free...

To share the journey.

I submitted my first story here.

And a second one to a place that could make

 my biggest bad-ass dream one step closer...

But, I`m not ready to share this,  yet...

“Tears are words that need to be written”

 by Paulo Coelho

 

Painting 100 Bunnies

     I'm totally engrossed in a new body of work.  I'm painting approximately 18 to 20 paintings for my SOLO art show in Quebec city.  (YAY!)  What is SO special about this, is that part of my ancestral roots, my Métis-Algonquin roots originated very close to this region. Here is the first painting for this show that is still officially untitled.  I think I know what I will call it, but I want to sleep on it just a little longer to make sure it's right.

There's something really special about this girl. 

It's like she knows what is ahead even though I don't.

I started painting her Thursday afternoon 

and I haven't been able to finish her until today.

I've been thinking about her non-stop since then...

You'll notice she's wearing a lace collar along with her white feathers...

I am completely immersed in my Métis culture.

It's the only thing I want to paint.

I remember taking Jesse Reno's class last year 

where he talked alot about the creative process.

He encouraged us to honour the nudges we get during our creative process.

He told us not to shy away from painting something that you already painted.  

If you feel the need to paint it, it's because you NEED to paint it. 

  If you feel the need to paint a bunny 100 times then you need to do this.

He told us not to get caught up with the need to do something just because you feel you should switch things up.  If your heart is set on bunnies.  You need to honour this.

  It wasn't exactly those words but it is something that resonated with me even then...

I'm discovering that being an artist is just as much listening to my inner voice

as it is painting on the canvas.

The day I start painting for someone else is the day I shrivel up and die.

This is why I can no longer paint custom work. (even for my favorite peeps)

It's like my heart and soul reject it so much that nothing seems to work.

I'm never pleased with the outcome.

Some people can do this happily and with satisfaction.

I can't. I won`t. Anymore.

Instead I'm honouring this strong urge, this need to paint my feathered girls.

The ones that come from a First Nation woman

from the Weskarini tribe and a French man from France.

Tomorrow the work will continue...

Stay tuned for my next post as I share my writing nook with you.

I'll also give you an update on my stories...

Learning the Hard Way

 

  So, I fell on my butt yesterday.  More like my face. I slipped on a sheet of ice that almost blinded me from the glare. I think I would have broken my nose if my knees had not broken the fall.   Dior makes SUPER STRONG glasses because they didn't break but they did dig into my skin leaving an imprint I thought would stay forever and would make for interesting self portraits next time around.  I can't wiggle my nose.  It hurts too much.  I have never fallen this hard before.

I think the Universe is trying to tell me something: Take a breath, embrace the present, chillax a little. I've been working so hard lately trying to get it all done.  I think I've forgotten that I still need to practice balance, to let loose and dilly dally. The proof for me was falling hard and kissing the cold ice with my teeth.  I don't need to learn this lesson twice.  I hear you up there (waving my fist up in the air).

The thing is...I have never been this happy.  EVER.  I'm excited everyday for the work that lies before me, even though some of it is gut wrenching (my writing) and challenging (my artwork for my SOLO shows).  I'm painting and writing and putting myself out there like never before with the pod casting and the video.  But, what I'm learning is this:  Even the good stuff, the AMAZING stuff, the stuff that takes your breath away and fills up your soul, all of it still needs breathing time. Because without it, I may end up toothless, bruised  and crooked-nosed. Now, that could make for an interesting 2nd video?  LOL! 

Thank-you dear and kind peeps for celebrating the HIGHlights with me (ie. Artful Blogging + Video) and for honoring the lowlights (face hitting ice and learning the hard way).

PS.  My heart is still brimming with so much goodness from all the support and kindness from the film post. I had no idea that sharing another layer of who I am could feel THIS good. Thank-YOU for celebrating this with me! xoxo
Lots of LOVE,

GAME CHANGER!

  First of all, THANK-YOU so much for all the sweet congratulations

on my Artful Blogging publication!

It's still a little surreal... I'm hoping to show you more this week!

I have other 

HUGE-HAPPY-NEWS 

to share with you today.

OK., maybe it's not news

but is sure is news worthy!

I've been dropping some hints about this on facebbok and twitter

the last couple of days.

Those who were able to listen to the PODCAST 

with my interview with Melanie Rollins already have an idea

to what I'm about to share with you...

This is 

HUGE!

I think this could be a 

GAME CHANGER

for ALL Artists & Entrepreneurs...

 Melanie Rollins from NOVA Films 

has done something so innovative and fresh 

and I AM SO EXCITED to be part of it!

What if you could SHOW people WHO and WHAT you are...

and not just TELL them with two dimensional words on your website...

What if your "ABOUT ME" section on your BLOG or WEBSITE

came to life?

THIS is what Melanie Rollins has done for me!

She has captured my   

essence, 

the REAL ME...

in HD!  

It's not just any video here...

This is an artistic film made with so much HEART 

that I believe people will be able to connect with who I am 

in under three minutes!

AND, 

if that was not enough....

Coeur de Pirate ♥ 

(my absolute favorite Canadian singer)

agreed to allow us to use her song

to help tell my story!

OMG!

(MAJOR-INSANELY-AWESOME!!!!)

I know...it's almost too much!

So without further adieu, here it is:

And turn up the volume!!!

Somebody Pinch Me!

   Almost two years ago to the day, I started this blog.

  I put my whole heart out there...  

I was also just starting my quest to "become an artist", 

the thing I couldn't claim for like 35 years... 

This unraveling of sorts happened quite organically with each post, 

where I shared it all:

the fear of sucking badly, to what if I fall on my face, to OMG I CAN FLY!

Two years ago,

I took a a chance and decided to trust my intuition.

I set my painted words free-for all to see

Two years ago, I said YES!

I will try.

I will just do my best,

even if...

AND

Almost two years to the day,

this girl from  

Sudbury, 

Ontario,  

CANADA

has a 

7 PAGE SPREAD in ARTFUL BLOGGING

as the International Featured Blogger!!!!

This is truly my proudest achievement so far!!!

Because this blog is where the truth lies...

Each post exposing a little more

of who I am and where I want to go.

It's where I fall and pick myself back up.

It's where I've shared the journey with you all...

OMG! 

Isn't the cover BEAUTIFUL?

 

As you already know, CANADA POST arrives by donkey and takes eons to arrive...

So, I don't have the spread to show you just yet.

But I do know that it's already on newstands in the US,

and will be arriving in CANADA any day as they assured me at the bookstore.

(I think they now have a poster of me in their staff room with "CRAZY & RUN" written underneath my picture)

Can you recognize something on the cover that looks familiar?

I am beyond grateful and tottally celebrating this moment.

More than anything it makes me believe without a doubt 

that with hard work and all of my heart, 

AMAZING MOMENTS 

like this are possible.

xox

An Update & So Much More!

Hello sweet people!  I wanted to give you an update about "the schedule" I've been keeping since launching my word FOCUS for 2012...  I  give myself a 6 out of 10 for the month of January. OK, maybe 6.5.  I have been writing galore!  This has been HUGE for me.  It hasn't felt like a struggle to make time and commit to this and I'm SO happy that my writing and I are back together and going steady again.

My painting blocks have not been as numerous but it's because I've had so many writing deadlines looming that should all be wrapped up by the end of next week.

The part that I have completely neglected is...big surprise... the exercise blocks.  I didn't do a single one...NOT ONE!  Besides coaching basketball once a week, I have completely dropped the ball on this one.  I am going to apply myself BIG TIME in the days to come...

I think I need to tweak the schedule to change a block where on Tuesdays I write outside the house just so I don't end up feeling like a MAD RECLUSE by Friday. Especially since this Friday is a PA DAY and Owen will be off.  (Do kids EVER go to school for a FULL week anymore?) So, maybe I should really give myself a 7 because I haven't been leaving every Friday because of all the snow days... OK,  6.8 FIRM!

Here are my latest paintings... 

Oh, how they make me happy. 

There is a sweetness to them don't you think?

I was thrilled to be back in the studio yesterday as I could not write one more word...

I needed to get my hands FULL of paint.

I LOVE to paint their little faces before anything else...

Here they are looking at each other...LOL!

I am so pleased with these little ones, it will be hard to let them go...

Which one is your favorite?

I also wanted to remind you of the PODCAST I taped with

my passionate friend Melanie Rollins.

During this interview, I spill the beans about an upcoming project

that I am SO CRAZY-EXCITED about!

Last, but certainly NOT LEAST, 

Stay tuned for my next post as I reveal something so 

unbelievably stupendous 

that I'm STILL pinching myself...

I can honestly say it is my

most significant accomplishment

to date thus far in my ART JOURNEY.

I hope you're all having a good week.

I decided to do an overhaul in my STUDIO yesterday afternoon...

I can finally see the floor again, but what a JOB!

Stay tuned for pics coming soon... 

With Love,