Recently, my long time friend Kristina posted on Facebook a painting that she had painted.  I was so impressed, I called her right away.  Now, you must understand that Kristina has talked to me for years about wanting to take time to paint.  I was so impressed with her artistic skills and I was even more impressed when she told me that she had started taking painting classes for a few hours each week.  I was delighted and I told her, “I am SO PROUD of you for taking time for yourself to paint.” I said.   

When I hear someone mention having a desire to paint, I always encourage them to take the time for themselves to experience creativity through painting.  Kris had painted in college art class while working on  an Interior Design degree and liked it, but life presented and let’s face it...it takes time. When you have kids, it’s even harder because they want to paint too.  Then it becomes their time and not yours alone. A few years ago, while visiting New Orleans, she came to one of  my ‘Strokes and Sips with Stacy’ classes.  She had a great time and I loved having her in my class. She created a very nice painting and I encouraged her again to take some time for herself to paint at home. She longingly said, “One day....”    I  know how it is....kids, husband, school, PTA, sports...Who has time to do a painting? 

“To paint a painting... It takes a little Time.

But sometimes, a little Time is what one needs.” ~LaFleur

Well, personally speaking, I have been somewhat of a hermit. I had a painting project of a New Orleans Jazz Funeral and to tell you the truth, I felt a little depressed while I was painting it. I don’t know if it was the Jazz Funeral that made me feel sad or the lack of Vitamin D from the sun, but I came up for air and decided to turn a new leaf myself.   I called up my friend who has a pool.  I needed the SUN. It has been so hot and humid, no one can stand to be outside unless you are floating on cool water.   In June, my cousin Shana from Atlanta and her two kids took a train to see me. It was so hot, we barely made it half way through Audubon Zoo without needed the paramedics.

I find it so easy to immerse myself in my projects that I sometimes forget to come up for air and just be still and lay in the sun and just “Be still”.  There is so much I want to do.  The down side is that I have the whitest ass in the south. Don’t worry, I won’t post it.  It is alarmingly white though, but the thought of the Google Satellite catching me with my pants off scares  me too  much to lay out naked.  It’s a travesty, I know.

Last weekend I invited friends over for Sunday Dinner.   They wanted to tour the Home Studio and ART Studio, so after we ate,  I gave them the grand  tour.   When we walked into the painting studio, they looked at the painting in progress on my wall and said, “Stacy, who is this one for?”

“That one is for me. I had to take some time to paint for myself. There are only so many hours in the day, and I am always painting for other people...I needed to paint for me. I am always saying to others to take time for themselves to paint. But because I paint for others I forgot that some times I need to set aside some time to paint what I want to paint. Each day I try to paint for myself for at least an hour. I gotta practice what I preach.”  

I just had to set aside some time for Stacy.  Now it’s all good.  I not feeling blue anymore, but I do have some blue paint in my ear. 

Love,

Stacy