My Artist Voice #14 June 9, 2023

   Welcome to my 14th Artist Newsletter.  Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed to date.  If you would like to receive this newsletter via email subscription, please contact thechautauqua@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list.  Please share this with friends who may also be interested.  Thank you so much for your support.  

   On May 11th, I attended the Alix MAC dinner theatre production of "Million Dollar Meatballs."  My niece was the character "Boris Stroganoff" and did a wonderful job, as did all the rest of the students.  She asked what my favourite part/scene was, and I said when her character got beaned on the head and she fell to the floor, as she did that incredibly well!

   I managed to get the inside of the labyrinth all weeded by May 23rd, and it only took me two days, with an hour each day - improvement!!!!!!  I harvested two ice cream pails of dandelions to dry for tea - sounds and feels so much nicer to say "harvested" than "weeded" - as well as a whole dish full of volunteer viola blossoms that I also dried. That said, I did weed a whole bunch of dandelions that were too large as well as other weeds.  On the 23rd - as the air was MUCH clearer - I planted peas, beets, beans (more than usual so hopefully it doesn't backfire on me!), turnip (an experiment as never planted before), and patty pan squash.  Unfortunately, that wiped me out so I wasn't able to plant more that day.   

   I picked up my plants and pots from Tailcreek Greenhouse on May 25th, and on May 26th, I planted peas, corn, cucumber, onion, melons, celery, 3 strawberry plants, nasturtiums, greens, and the front flowerbed.  I also started putting gravel down in the spots where the plant pots sit on the 26th and 27th.  On May 27th, I planted the potatoes (behind the garage), and on the 28th, I planted the flower pots and the west flowerbed.  Everything was in the ground.

   I bought a rose this year as I had to dig up all my roses last year and I bought a bleeding heart bush - we have tried for numerous years to grow bleeding hearts here and I thought I was victorious as I had a bleeding heart for 4 years, but there was no sign of it at all this year.  Both new plants were planted behind the house.  Now we just need rain to water everything, and fingers crossed it grows!

Celebrations: 

- I completed Hillary Faye's  8-week Faery Queen Council Initiations course May 31st.  The course included a short 1:1 session with Hillary for an energy reading, and mine was on May 10th - too no surprise, my energy is tied very strongly to water (a recurring theme in my life!), as well as a lot of playfulness and joy. :)  On May 24th, we were attuned to the healing frequencies of the rose, iris, sunflower, orchid and lotus flowers and can now do healings with the flower frequencies, and attune others to the flower frequencies.

Recently Completed:

Since the last newsletter, I've completed...

Top, L-R: Watercolour play (back & front on 9x12 mixed media paper)

Bottom: - I pulled out my incomplete whimsical character drawings from March 19, 2021 and coloured/finished them on May 13th.  The letter "N" is on the left.  

- I made a pineapple baked oatmeal on May 9th.  I continued to experiment with making dandelion juice - as my garden was bursting with them (and it was not even planted yet!) - I made 6 cups on May 10th and another 8 cups on May 11th and froze those ones.  Then I made 8 cups of dandelion/apple juice on May 15th.  Also on May 15th I whipped up some oodle ladles (what my family referred to when we mixed together the various bits and drabs from the fridge and freezer) and ended up with 3 casseroles (I froze 2).  May 16th was too smoky and windy to go out so I made a chocolate cherry/pumpkin baked oatmeal.  I dried a bunch of dandelions and after I ground it up in the food processor on May 27th, I ended up with 2 pints for tea - too much work and effort so won't do that again!  That same day, I made 6 cups of lilac juice - didn't work, but it did taste good.  On May 28th, I made 7 cups of lilac syrup - that did work out.  I used a different method for making the juice and got 2 quarts of lilac juice - way easier and MUCH less mess!  June 1st I made 2 quarts of caragana juice - didn't taste as good as hoped so I must have missed a leaf or two in the mixture.  I also made almost 5 cups of syrup - boiled it longer than I did the lilac so it would be a bit thicker.  On June 4th, I made a pumpkin raspberry baked oatmeal - so far, this is my favourite combo.

- I finished another cartoon comic booklet - it went by so fast!  You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/beth.richardson.10/videos/981604136522966

Works in progress:

Currently, I'm working on... 

- a 9x12 page of watercolour play 

- an 8x10 acrylic painting (still not really started) + a 16x20 acrylic painting (2022/23 Hawaii virtual painting retreat)

- mandala on 9x12 mixed media paper 

- Shiloh Sophia's Wild Card Oracle class - I completed 6 more cards.  Not sure how many more cards I'll do as I feel like it's not finished yet.

- I hope to finish the Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals Ayurveda course before the end of June (fingers crossed)

- Anne's Atelier pattern design membership: I did do some research into Print on Demand sites in May, and I haven't made a decision yet.  Also, I was interviewed by Anne for the June Student Spotlight so will share that video with you in the next newsletter.

- I find that it doesn't take much for my email inbox to get totally out of control, between paper-related emails, personal emails, and then emails from lists I subscribed to because I have so MANY varied interests. As the month of May was about curating our space in Inner Circle, I decided to tackle my inbox - it's an ongoing job, though I thought some focussed attention might help. 

   One thing I came across was a 30-Day series from Christy Whitman on changing your words to change your life.  For example, instead of saying "I can't afford..." say "....is not a priority for me right now."  As I went through the 30 days, what I found the most fun, was creating my own phrase to replace "I should...."  Instead, I decided it would be the most impactful for me to say, "....is not a priority for me at this time."  So, "washing the dishes is not a priority for me at this time." Or, "doing the yard work is not a priority for me at this time."  Not that I will never do the dishes or the yard work, just that I will stop beating myself up for not doing them when I don't feel well enough to do them.

Upcoming Projects: 

- My yard and gift sales are open most weekends and the odd week day (weather and health permitting) - a great opportunity to view my artwork, decks, books, CD and more in person before you purchase :) 

- I am offering 3-hr in-person VIP sessions (morning or afternoon) for the introductory price of $300 per session.  Sessions will be customized to the individual and may include topics such as yoga, Reiki, mindset, creativity, writing, behind the scenes in my studio, and more.  Also, each person who signs up will receive a lovely gift to take home.  I am also open to doing 2 people at a time (ie mother/daughter sessions) for $500 for both people.  To find out more, and to book, please contact me.

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Beth 

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As a life-long creative, and recently self-taught artist, I endeavour to weave my varied interests and wisdom together in an enlightening and entertaining manner, to make people think, but above all else, bring a smile to their faces and hearts, as my style is almost childlike in its simplicity and playfulness.  While bedridden for much of 2017, I developed 5 – 10 minute practices which allowed me to commit to them daily. I’ve been called the “Queen of Small Steps” because my simple practices – though they may seem small individually – have added up to quite a body of work in a relatively short time period. 

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or by making a donation via

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   Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!