Tag Archive for: Dominique Hurley

Studio Sneak Peek: Snowflakes

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While staring at a blank 30″ x 40″ canvas during a pre-Christmas morning rebounding session, I received a vision for a painting of a couple standing together in tree pose.  The background was to be filled with large snowflakes in the Zentangle® style.  Saturday’s snowy photo shoot (see previous post) was perfect to get me in the mood.  This is also true of the book “Zen Doodling Mandalas that I picked up in Ottawa over the holidays (a natural purchase since I had already decided to create a dozen 30″ x 30” mandalas in 2015).  As I’m waiting for my $1000 order of canvas to launch that project, I decided to start on my painting of the couple, using the snowflake instructions from one of the chapters in my new book.

Background:

I started this painting process as I do most times – by using sacred palo santo smoke to smudge myself, my space and the canvas.  I then added a drop of blessed water from the Chalice Well in Glastonbury to my spray bottle to wet the canvas (and a dash on myself). It feels great to open myself, the space and the canvas for a whole new creative process.

The background will eventually be quite dark and the figures lighter. At least that’s how I envision it, but I’m going half planned and half intuitively with this painting, so we’ll see what happens.

I started with a very watery mix of white, pearl, interference blue-green, and 4 shades of blue.  Once that was dry, I added a glaze of pearl and 2 interference colours (they shine various colours at various angles).

Cutting Snowflakes:

Using my compass to make circles and a protractor that I printed from an online file to measure the 60 and 120 degree points on a folded circle, I then folded the left corner to the right mark and the right corner to the left mark. Then I folded it again in half.  Then I drew designs and cut them. Unfolding them is so much fun as the results are always a surprise.

Stencils:

I then placed them on the canvas, measuring carefully, and used a sponge to gently tap one shade of blue around them.  Voilà!

Tangle Patterns:

I then added darker circles (-ish… I wasn’t going for precision) to add contrast and spent the rest of the weekend listening to music and painting patterns in various shades of blue, pearl, silver, and interference blue. I have no idea how much of this will show in the final painting, but it was fun.  Here are the final 5 smaller snowflakes.  Click on any image to see it larger.

 

 

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Snowy Photo Walk

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They’re not joking when they advertise that Newfoundland has crazy weather.  I woke up with a fright at 3am on Saturday morning because of the 120km wind gusts we’d been warned might lift roof tiles.  It sounded very dramatic out there.  When I woke up again at 5am to the sound of rain hitting my window, I emailed my friend Leslie to cancel our walk and went back to sleep.

When I got up at 7am, the snow angels in the backyard were all but gone – instead, it was a very slushy and soggy jaunt down the lawn to feed the ducks before starting a new painting.  After my first layer, however, I looked out the window to see a glimpse into the magical world of fluffy white snowflakes.  They were coming straight down.  The wind had completely stopped.

So I contacted my friend Leslie, who is also a photographer, and we headed out towards the ocean in her little Honda Fit, which was thankfully equipped with quality snow tires.  The world was thick with snow again.

Here are a few of the shots I took in-camera, including a zoom shot at the end.

Of course I had to play a bit in Photoshop to duplicate and layer images.

My favourite is this one, using the wallpaper at the restaurant we ate at afterwards to blend into the scene.  It reminds me of my current style of paintings.

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I so enjoy spending time with my friend Leslie Bridger – she’s an inspiring woman who recovered from a near-fatal brain injury ” with vast knowledge…about life here on earth, about eternal life, about the changing role of humans, about our ability to heal ourselves and about the true Divinity and perfection of every living thing on this planet, amongst many other things.” She is offering great things to the St. John’s community, including weekly S.O.A.R. (Soul Optimal Awakening & Retrieval) meditations as part of the AWE project (awakening wellness everywhere), a more global project with Glen and Sandra Rose.  Here’s one of their video offerings. Enjoy.

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Another Transitional Painting: Life by Design

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Life by Design-Dominique HurleyYay! Yay! Yay!  That’s just how I feel about this, my 2nd crossover painting (started in 2014 and finished in 2015).

It’s called “Life by Design“, in honour of all I’m living as a full-time artist this year and all I’m writing about in my new series of articles by the same name.

The figure is one I quickly sketched in Vienna during a live model drawing session, soon after learning about the Zentangle® movement.  When I saw her on my parents’ fridge at Christmas, I just had to make a copy to incorporate her on this work in progress (6-8 layers of paint waiting for an inspiration).

There’s just something about her that makes me smile – it’s that mix of playful, flirty, shy, excited, and brave stance as she looks into a future that’s totally hers to design. I can almost hear her say “Oh Goody! Now what?” It’s  also her special blend of simplicity through fluid lines and complexity through the multitude of patterns and experiences that make her completely unique in this world.

Life by Design-low lighting-Dominique HurleyI spent several hours painting her while listening to the 2015 Thriving Artist Summit (a free series of inspirational and educational 1-hour talks online that runs daily until January 18th – highly recommended for any artist). This painting is definitely infused with all that empowering energy.

I glazed over some of the tangle patterns using various transparent colours, including a special paint that can only be seen from certain angles or in certain lighting.  This is a reminder that no matter our moods or environment, we can choose to let our colours shine.

It was after stepping back and contemplating her for a while that I saw her path shape before her – made of her own substance and colours with an added layer of gold-coloured mica flakes (love, compassion), energizing her life with passion and purpose.

Life by Design-detail2-Dominique HurleySometimes (or often in some cases), our hearts may call us to live outside the box, off the beaten track, – that’s why I so enjoyed painting her path off the face of the canvas and around the side. I remember an art teacher once telling me that I should constrain my subjects more as I often had them go beyond the frame.  I listened and thought about it, but then decided to disagree.  Art was the one area where I could freely express myself and not worry about social norms, expectations, and all the constraints in other areas of my life.  I didn’t want to paint inside the box… and so this path winds off the face of the canvas, beginning and ending in a spiral – symbol of evolution, holistic growth, awareness, and connectivity with cosmic energies.

Life by Design – 12″ x 24″ – acrylics & mica on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing required).  – SOLD.  Click here for prints.

Go to my shop to see all available originals and reproductions.

By the way, I’ve decided to name my first crossover painting “This Little Light of Mine“, after the song that I often find my self singing and dancing to.  It has been sold.

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First Painting of 2015

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painting of yogi with hands up surrounded by tangle patterns

“This Little Light of Mine” (9″ x 12″)

After weeks of not painting, it was great to get back in the studio yesterday. My friend Lori came over and we painted while catching up on life.

This is a crossover painting – one that I started in 2014 and finished in 2015.  I always find those have special energy.  After doing my best to love it through its awkward teenager phase yesterday (a good reminder about the many layers of the creative process), it eventually evolved into this creation that makes my heart sing.  It encompasses the spirit of meditation, prayer, celebration, connection with Nature, gratitude, sacred fire, and so much more.  In case you didn’t spot her, there’s a woman sitting cross legged with her back to us – with her arms up in the air and a bird in one hand.  See her?

BEFORE
AFTER

Introducing “This Little Light of Mine” (I’m gonna let it shine…). It’s 9″ x 12″, acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas (no framing necessary).  I often sing that song and it captures the spirit of this painting well.  NOTE: SOLD.

 

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Looking Back at 2014

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What an amazing year! Preparing this post for the last 8 hours has reminded me of all my blessings, which I’m glad to share with you here.  It was a great exercise that also had me revisit all my 2014 photo albums.  I feel I’ve not only done and seen a lot in the past year, but I’ve also grown a lot – as an artist and as a human being.

To start, I continued my studies at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art full time for 3 months (Jan-March) and part time for 2 (May-June). This also gave me the chance to travel a bit in Austria.

While there, I took several trips to see my long-time friends in the Czech Republic.

and a weekend to be with new friends in Germany.

I spent the whole of April in Bali, taking art workshops with Flora Bowley and Phil Rubinov, as well as exploring the island’s sacred sites and culture on my own or with a wonderful guide, Nicole Lawrence.

After that, in May, I spent 8 days as artist in residence at The Awakening Arts Center near Assisi, Italy.

If you haven’t been following this blog that long, there are lots of photo albums and blog posts to enjoy (you can use the search window top right in my blog)..

In July, I moved back to St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, where I was blessed with wonderful teaching opportunities – ESL at Memorial University of Newfoundland, intuitive painting in French across the province, and personal growth workshops at the Body, Mind and Spirit retreat.

I also got to spend several months integrating all I learned overseas into a growing collection of artwork, which I displayed in exhibitions at the MUN Botanical Garden, the Arts & Culture Centre (AANL), Soothe Spa, and Goodvibe Tattoo Company.

I’m glad to report that I still absolutely love where I’m living and feel so grateful that my friends helped me find Orinda, a like-minded landlady, housemate, and friend. Truth be told, my new home is a perfect environment to simply be as well as paint.

It hasn’t all been easy, of course.  Despite all I’ve learned about following my heart and manifesting, I still have my moments of doubt, indecision, fear, and scarcity.  Luckily, these are but clouds that pass through an otherwise clear sky where love and abundance always exist.  It all depends on what I choose to focus on and what I let simmer in my mind.  I’d say, however, that looking in the rear view mirror at 2014, I did pretty well and learned lots from the process.

P04Dominique Hurley_ExaltationSo what’s ahead for 2015? With no fixed plans, I’ll continue to love the mystery and stay open to the opportunities that this frame of mind brings.  One thing I know is that I will not be teaching ESL in the Winter term.  Instead, I’m going to focus my time on my art – the creative and business ends of it.

I pray for guidance on developing a creative business model that is in line with my purpose of traveling through life exploring and expressing my love of beauty and the beauty of love.  My fundraising efforts for my year overseas certainly taught me to think outside the box so that I could both serve myself and others.  I’m open to more of that.  If you have any ideas, let me know.

Thanks for having been a part of my journey in 2014.

May your holiday season be filled with love, joy, and gratitude.  Peace!

 

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Now on Display at Goodvibe Tattoo Company

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Dominique Hurley Art & Inspiration Quote SeriesI love a good paradigm shift.  In fact, I’m always grateful when the Universe provides me with the opportunity to see my own fear-based judgments and even more so when it then provides me with a follow-up opportunity to replace them with a much more accepting and loving perception of life and the living. Do you know what I mean?  I’m sure you do – there’s a reason this image is the most viewed/liked in my Inspirational Quotes for the Creative Soul project.

Tattoos: The Old Perspective

I grew up thinking that tattoos were plain ugly – and scary.  The word itself conjured up memories of elderly overweight men with stretched tattoos of naked women on their arms or bellies, partially concealed in thick body hair.  Or what about those dangerous Hells Angels bikers and sloppy ink jobs done behind prison walls? Hollywood probably had an influence there…

I’m ashamed to say that I used every ounce of persuasion I had to convince my ex not to get a tattoo in the late 90s.  When I think back, I see how silly, controlling, and unloving that was.  I was basically afraid of all that I believed tattoos represented.  I’m glad to report I’ve come a long way since then on my mission to explore and express my love of beauty and the beauty of love.

Tattoos – The New Perspective:

Although I don’t imagine ever getting a tattoo myself (if only because I’m averse to pain), my opinion about them has changed quite a bit.  Over the past decade, I’ve seen some really nice ones on all sorts of folks that certainly didn’t fit the murderer profile 🙂 . In fact, I’ve had the opportunity to witness the empowering effects of meaningful sayings and images on their wearers. I’ve also heard moving stories by survivors or those who wore mementos of loved ones on their skin. I probably wouldn’t have connected with these people on the same level if I hadn’t asked about their tattoos. They provided an opening for some truly inspirational conversations.  That’s a good thing since I’m really not into small talk.

Truth be told, I’ve also been stunned at the beauty that some tattoo artists have been able to create on their living canvases.  For example, I really like the tribal, Celtic, and watercolour styles.

So when I hear the word “tattoo” today, it no longer conjures up thoughts of botched up black & blue scrawls.  Instead, I see art, skill, and courage combined to create breathtaking visions of love and beauty that people choose to carry with them every day of their lives.  How’s that for a paradigm shift?

Now I’m not saying I like all the tattoos out there. Far from it.  For instance, I’ve never been attracted to skulls, monsters, and nightmarish imagery – no matter the art form. I do, however,  have a much deeper appreciation of the artistic mastery needed for anyone to draw what appeals to them- after all, that’s what I went to Vienna to work on. I am also saying that I have a much deeper respect for how people choose to express themselves.  After all, that’s all part of unconditional love.

Now Showing at Goodvibe Tattoo Company:

Did you get through that long introduction to today’s news?  I’m not known for brief posts…

Well, one or two days after I mentally sent out the message into the Universe that I was ready to find other spaces to display my paintings in St. John’s, my hairdresser Tara told me that a new tattoo studio was looking for local artists to display on their walls.  After I recognized that my initial hesitation was due to remnants of my old perspective, I decided to look into it.  I’m so glad I did.

Goodvibe Tatoo CompanyThat’s when I found out that this brand new tattoo studio / gallery at 199 New Gower St. (kiddy corner to the Delta Hotel and next to the new Fortis building in downtown St. John’s) was called Goodvibe Tattoo Company. That in itself was appealing.  And seconds after entering on Friday morning to meet with Charisse and Matt, I knew I would enjoy displaying my art there.

IMG_8647Charisse and Matt opened Goodvibe Tattoo Company as a free way to express their particular styles of tattoo art and fill a niche through a more artistic neo traditional style.  They offer an inviting atmosphere and promise complete custom designs and a professional environment.  From our chat, I learned that they also have philanthropic projects up their sleeves (ha ha… I confess to accidental cleverness on that choice of expression).

Here’s what they say:

As a shop, we essentially hope to build a clientèle of people who are like-minded.  We hope to change people’s perceptions of this industry through charitable donations and spreading kindness along the way. As we grow, we trust that we’ll also find other ways to contribute to the art community in our city.

Well, they already have – through opening their space for local artists to display without taking a commission on sales.  Thanks Goodvibe Tattoo Company!

Note: Goodvibe has expanded and the gallery space no longer exists.

 

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Morning Musings

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Some Weather!

Dominique Hurley Art & Inspiration Quote Series

The wind is howling and the rain pounding against the house in spurts. It’s like waking up in the middle of a surround sound movie theater during a space invasion scene in Star Trek (one of the many movies I borrowed from the library this week).  Needless to say, the snow from last weekend (see photos in previous post) is all gone.  That’s the way of it in Newfoundland!

I had written that paragraph in my head a few times while lying under my warm duvet this morning, so I finally got up to put it down on “virtual” paper.  Turning on the computer before my exercise routine is a dangerous thing to do … Luckily, I’ve finished writing my report cards, so I don’t have to go to school until late morning today; I will still get to my yoga mat and rebounder before work.  I feel so much better when I do!

Grateful:

Am I ever grateful to have a warm, solid shelter to live in, with ample room to paint, exercise, enjoy the scenery, share with a like-minded housemate, etc.  As winter sets in, my thoughts turn to the homeless and to all those who feel it most. May they be safe, warm, and well-fed this winter.

Feathered Friends:

Oh – that reminds me… our neighbourhood ducks will be waiting for their feeding soon…

Yesterday, we received a special guest at our Fat Block Bird Feeder.  I photographed this Northern Flicker through the window while I was standing at the railing on the 2nd floor.  I knew that if I went downstairs to the living room, it would fly away. It’s the shyest of our visitors.  Months ago, I saw the pair – now we only ever see one.  Maybe he’s flying solo now or perhaps they simply prefer different restaurants.

Last Day of Class:

Today is the last day of class for my 37 ESL students. On Saturday, they join the rest of the school for the CAEL Assessment, a standardized exam that, if passed, allows students to register into regular university programs no matter their performance in ours.  I will be invigilating the exam and then participating in the team-correction next week.  After that, it’s a return to the full-time artist life.

Dominique Hurley Art & Inspiration Quote Series

The full moon in this photo is one I photographed in Hawaii in 2011 when I went to swim with wild dolphins. Happy full moon tomorrow – it’s an important one.  If you’re curious, read your monthly astrology here.  Susan Miller has always been very accurate with my forecast.

Now it’s 7:30 am – time to dance on my mini trampoline and twist and turn on my yoga mat. Yay! Oh, and yes… feed the ducks.

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Simplifying Your Life

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Simplicity1_DHurleyFunny how the memory works… mine anyway. Recently, I promised you a summary of the two workshops I offered at the Body, Mind & Spirit retreat (Nov. 7-9).  As I started composing my post on Simplifying Your Life it in my head, something seemed very familiar.  I’m not talking about the fact that I had recently taught this material, but that the writing it all down was something I’d done before  That’s when I remembered that I had already summarized this workshop in the article “Living Simply by Simply Loving” for the Think Different Feel Different website last April.  That website is now offline, and so I’ve reproduced it in a future post – click here.

DLH_5617Clearing the Mind: Memory

I may be good at learning all my students’ names on the first day of class and retaining them for the term, but I’ve never been known for my long term memory. There’s no need for concern.  It’s always been that way. In this sense, I guess I’ve always been good at de-cluttering the mind from what it no longer needed to make room for the new. After all, I’ve lived in so many places and met so many people – there’s only so much storage space. Even in my preteens I would tell folks that, having moved around a lot due to my father’s career in the Armed Forces, I had to make room in my memory filing cabinet for all the new people and experiences.  I guess in that way, I’m pretty good at living in the Here and Now.

love mysteryThere are advantages. My ex, for example, qualified the nature of my memory as a blessing.  He was also amazed that I could watch a movie I had seen with him a year or two before and be just as surprised, scared, emotional, etc. at all the same scenes.  Now he could quote movie dialogues years later, so the contrast was remarkable.

Clearing the Monkey Mind:

Alas, clearing the mind from all the busy-ness, nagging concerns, or other spiraling thoughts, however, is something I have yet to fully master.  I’m so much better at it than decades ago, but I’m still growing in this regard.  Interestingly, that’s the one part of simplifying our lives that I didn’t address much in this year’s workshop. Luckily, others did, and I truly benefited from their reminders.

Dominique Hurley Art & Inspiration Quote SeriesThe Answer to Everything: Unconditional Love

As you’ll read in the article though, the bottom line to de-cluttering – be it physical, emotional, financial, or time-based – is still unconditional love.  The more I learn to love myself, others, and the mysteries of life, the less my mind and life will be cluttered and the more I will be at peace.

 DLH_6937Love, peace, joy, health, wealth, happiness and freedom –
those are my wishes for you and the true gifts of simplifying your lives.

 

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Body Sculpting: My Friend Lori Reddy

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Lori Reddy-10-by Dominique HurleyI got an email from my friend Lori Reddy at the beginning of October asking if I would be willing to do a photo shoot of her shortly after she had fulfilled one of her long-term dreams: participate in the Newfoundland & Labrador Amateur BodyBuilding Association (NLABA)’s Figure category of the Physique, Figure & Bikini Championships.

Congratulations!

Not only did she follow-through on her goal with rigorous training and disciplined eating (even turning down my housemate Orinda’s famous chocolate-chip banana loaf!), she placed 2nd in the Figure Masters division, 3rd in the Figure Tall division, and was voted most photogenic overall by Judi Stone, the official photographer for the national bodybuilding competitions. Wow!  Here’s a photo from Saturday’s championships. I couldn’t make it as I was teaching intuitive painting at the Festival du Vent, so thanks to Jim Costello for allowing me to use two of his photos.

Photo by Jim Costello - www.facebook.com/jim.costello2

Lori Reddy (left), Tina Power (middle) and Nathalie Shea (right) Photo by Jim Costello – www.facebook.com/jim.costello2 & www.facebook.com/pages/Costello-Newfoundland-Photography/151239261659907

Who is Lori Reddy?

Although some know Lori as a savvy business person who used to work on Wall St., I’ve known her as a visual artist, musician (she played the flute on the Yagull album that I featured in my Spirit Calling Card videos), and hoop dancer.  As you may remember, we painted two murals together – one at Shakti Yoga Mount Pearl (see photos – now a dance studio) and one at Shakti Yoga on Torbay Rd. (see photos -now Yoga Kula Coop).  I’ve also organized a few art exhibitions with her, and she participated in the very successful Art To Go online auction that I organized as part of my Vienna Visionary Art Scholarship fundraising efforts.  Remember her now?

Lori Reddy-06-by Dominique Hurley

The Photo Shoot:

Although I’ve trained as a professional photographer (one the many chapters in my lifelong learning journey), people-photography is far from being a passion of mine. I simply don’t have a thick enough skin to hear people criticizing themselves (“I’m so fat…”, “That’s not my good side.”, “Look at all those wrinkles!”, etc.).  I much prefer being in nature or traveling with the camera. Trees are simply happy to be …

Sunday, however was fun. And with digital editing, I didn’t even need all those extra off-camera flashes and lighting umbrellas I got rid of years ago.

Lori Reddy-08-by Dominique HurleyPlus the pressure was off – Lori’s prize as most photogenic of the 100+ participants there that day is a photo session with a local photographer. Great! I was free, therefore, to do the kind of work/play I enjoy.

My painting back-splash worked well as a photo backdrop (with a few extra layers of white cloth to hide the many paint stains).  I wanted white as my plan was to blend photos of Lori with a couple of her paintings that I also photographed that day….

and some of my own art photography (mostly from my time overseas in 2013/14).  What you see here is the result of 6 hours of creative work after the photo shoot.

Lori Reddy-09-by Dominique HurleyWhy this post?

Lori Reddy-12-by Dominique HurleyI asked Lori if it would be OK for me to blog about her story and share my photos of her.  For me, this is a story of courage, determination, and following one’s heart despite the many challenges and judgements she may have faced along the way.  It’s also about reconnecting to lifelong passions – something I’m a big fan of.

I may not be into body building or rigorous exercise of any kind, but I can tell you that there were a few lazy mornings when I just had to remember what she was up to in order not to skip my morning restorative yoga and mini-trampoline dance routine.  After all, I no longer walk 10-20 hours a week as I had done most of my life and now benefit from Orinda’s great cooking on a regular basis.

In Lori’s Words:

I asked Lori to write about her experience for you.  Not only was this a whole new world for me, but as I said before, her journey itself was inspiring for me in many ways, and so I imagined it would be for you as well.

Lori Reddy-03-by Dominique Hurley

“I started lifting weights when I was 17 and loved how I would actually get sore – this would tell me that I worked a muscle to the point of it tearing and needing to repair which meant growth. Eventually, I started to buy fitness magazines in order to further research which exercises I could do for certain body parts (I was obsessed with getting biceps initially LOL) and then became very fond of the fitness models that were featured in the various issues – most notably Mia Finnegan and Monica Brant. It wasn’t until 20 years later, at the age of 37, that I considered entering into a competition. I had visited Mexico in February of 2014 for a month, and upon my return I started to put on a little weight from not being as active. I needed a new goal and decided that preparing for the competition in November fit in just perfectly.

Lori Reddy-15-by Dominique HurleyA friend recommeded her online coach who I signed up with for my “offseason prep” – offseason prep is the period of time that you spend building and sculpting your body prior to trimming down (which is known as the period “contest prep”). This worked for a
couple of months, but I really felt that I needed to be coached by someone who I could sit down and speak with (my online coach was from the west coast in the US). I then decided to sign up with Kristian Alexander (owner of Inshape Fitness on O’leary Ave. in St. John’s), who is a friend and former highschool mate. Kristian worked with me during the late stages of offseason and then coached me through contest prep in both diet and fitness regimes.

Lori Reddy-11-by Dominique HurleyMy days looked like this – rise at 4:30, gym by 5:30 with cardio/stretching on an empty stomach. Home, shower, eat, work. Eat, then gym again around noon for weights and stretching. Eat again. Back to work, eat some more. During contest prep I would be back in the gym again in the evening for a second cardio session – then back home to eat twice more before bed. That’s 6 meals in a 12 hour period. PHEW. Small frequent meals meant no snacking and a steady source of energy throughout the day to keep blood sugars from tanking. During contest prep, my meals would consist of egg whites, sweet potato, oatmeal, cod, tuna, chicken and green veggies. No dairy, sodium, sugar, oils…..just bland food. Funny how you look at food as fuel only vs. enjoyment when you are so limited to what you can eat.

Lori Reddy-13-by Dominique HurleyThe hardest for me was seeing progress SOOOO slowly as I had already been
working out consistently and eating healthy. It was hard for me to shock my system. I also found it difficult during offseason training, as I was putting on muscle mass and gaining some fat as well – I felt HUGE at times. But I kept telling myself, this is what I am supposed to do – and I have a coach for a reason!! Listen to him! I also heard this said numerous times: “trust the process” – this is so very very true.

Lori Reddy-14-by Dominique HurleyThe other part that I found to be difficult was to not compare myself or my gains (or losses for that matter) to others. People post pics of themselves, their slender lean physiques (washboard abs!!!) on Facebook, Instagram – showing how much progress they have made. Looking at my own progress at times, I would find myself discouraged – why wasn’t I seeing the same results – then I would talk myself out of it and regain focus as to what I should be doing, not what that other person was doing! Communicating with my coach during times like these was super important to help stay on track.

Lori Reddy and Whitney Matthews Photo by Jim Costello - www.facebook.com/pages/Costello-Newfoundland-Photography - and - www.facebook.com/jim.costello2

Lori Reddy and Whitney Matthews Photo by Jim Costello – www.facebook.com/pages/Costello-Newfoundland-Photography/151239261659907 – and – www.facebook.com/jim.costello2

The day of the competition and waiting to get up on stage was also challenging. By this point I was anxious, excited, hungry and TIRED. But the moment when my number was called and I lined up with other competitors – at that moment it all felt worth it. I now had a calmness that came over me as the moment was finally here where I was able to display my hard work and dedication to the world and judges. I was smiling ear to ear and thought this is my one moment to shine so give it 200%. And I did.

I placed 2nd in the Figure Masters division, 3rd in the Figure Tall division and won most photogenic overall.

Will I compete again? Who knows. I am taking it one day at a time. Was it all worth it? 200%. I learned so much about myself and the process over the last 5 months that I would not have learned any other way.”

Lori Reddy-01-by Dominique HurleyCongratulations Lori!

and thanks for the art & inspiration…

 

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Last But Not Least – Les Mains dans l’art Saint Jean

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20141014Affiche_Travail_4_copieIt was a full house yesterday at the last of my cross-province “Les Mains dans l’art” intuitive painting workshops.  This one was part of the Festival du Vent, St. John’s annual Francophone festival.  It was great: another 3 hours of colours, textures, exploration, and fun as 15 participants created truly unique masterpieces.

The whole process is described in my bilingual Guide to Intuitive Painting if you’d like to give it a try. I’m sure I’ll also be offering more workshops in the future – both in French and English. Interested?

Anyhow, I’ll let these photos do the talking – they say so much!

Thanks to the Réseau Culturel de la Fédération francophone de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador for hiring me, to Heritage Canada for sponsoring them, and to all the participants in both Newfoundland and Labrador for all the great memories.

 

 

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