some words

This space has been silent for some time.  And now?  Here are some words:

Creativity - like human life itself - begins in darkness. ~Julia Cameron 

My beloved child,

I see you close the ears of your heart and open them to messages that leave you feeling small and broken.  The voices of dream stealers and mean girls who drown out my song of grace and Love.  In those times your sweet voice disappears. 

That dark, safe cave you find yourself in may feel safe and quiet.  And it is.  For a moment in time.  Yet soon it will become lonely and the darkness scary.  Unseen monsters shouting to your fears.  The darkness no longer a haven.  Rather a cloying presence that steals joy and covers my whisper to your heart.

When you open the ears of your heart and listen carefully, you can hear me calling you back into the light.  The light of hope.  Of peace.  Of warmth.

In those moments I will remind you again that light is found in color and texture.  In words and shapes.  I will speak through your hands and eyes and together we will give birth to dreams and visions.  It will become art.

The movement and touch will lead you back to your brave place.  That place where dreams soar.  Where possibilities are endless.  Where light banishes the darkness from your path and your heart.

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.  ~Thomas Merton

In those moments I will mend your soul just a bit more.  The darkness will recede as I draw you near, teaching you once more that you are Beloved and brave and beautiful.   

Each time we create meet in this way your brave will last a bit longer.  The risks you take will become more daring.  Together we will conquer the dream stealers and mean girls and I will set you free to fly once more. 

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.  ~André Gide

Come soar with me…

The One who Loves you always

The tree of life

"I wish that I could give you something... but I have nothing left. I am an old stump. I am sorry..."

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, "just a quiet pleace to sit and rest. I am very tired." 

"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could,

"well, an old stump is a good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.” 

― Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree



At one point I  believed in the concept of balance in life.

And then I did not.

Next I held on to the idea of life being like a wave.

It ebbs and it flows.
It rushes toward the shore
then runs back to the sea.
Things come and things go.

There is a rush of activity.

Then there is a time of inactivity.

After untangling the knots of my soul recently 

and reflecting on this last bit of time

I have begun to see that life is more like a tree.



This week in the northern hemisphere we head into spring.

The trees are beginning to change.
Where once there was no visible growth,

new life is bursting forth. 
Buds seem to appear overnight.

Soon leaves and flowers will break free
reaching to the sun
in their circle of life.

In what will seem the blink of an eye 
the leaves will change color

in the majestic pageantry that is nature.

There will come a windy day 

to snatch away
the last of the brave leaves.

The ground will catch each one as they become 

a new blanket of many colors.

When the leaves are but a memory 
the tree will seem barren and dead.

Gnarled branches empty.

Naked to the eye.

Yet it is in this new season 
much growth will occur.

Unseen.

Hidden.

Necessary.
Secretly.

These months have been such for me.

From the outside 

stripped of what I once was
life may seem barren and dry
looking from the outside in.

Yet Love has slowly put my heart back together.

Knitted the broken pieces of my soul 
into a tapestry of beauty, strength, and growth.

Spring has begun to take hold
on the inside.
New growth is being revealed.

I am reaching once again for the Sun.

Like the tree that thought she had nothing left to offer
I have is much to share with others.
It may be resting.
It may be growing.
It matters not,
yet there is much happening in my life.

This piece is available for purchase
contact me at lsamasheart at gmail dot com.

New Releases

these pieces are now available:

a measure of tulips 9" by 12" on canvas ($35)

blue thrive 8" by 10" on canvas ($25)

daffodil hearts 8" by 9 1/2" on wood ($35)

daisy wings 12" by 8" on wood ($35)

flower hand 4 1/2" by 8" on wood ($25)

measuring daisies 7" by 9 1/2" on wood ($30)

nuts for flowers 6" by 6" on project board ($10)

ram daisy 9" across on wood ($30)

tablescape 7 1/2" by 9" on wood ($30)

interested?

contact me at lsamasheart at gmail dot com 

Pieces now available in local market

Several pieces are now available locally at 

Mountain Goat Market.

Go by and check them out!

Now available

bottle fly 9 by 12 on canvas ($35)

Currently available

These pieces are currently available:

black hearts on wood 7 1/2" by 8" ($25)

bloom on canvas 9" by 12" ($35)

blue bloom on canvas 8" by 10" ($25)

blue hearts on wood 8" by 12" ($35)

blue pansy on wood 5 1/2" by 7 1/2" ($20)

daisy view two on wood 6 1/2" by 8" ($25)

daisy view one on wood 71/2" by 9" ($25)

golden garden on wood 12" by 7" ($30)

grow on canvas 9" by 12" ($25)

heart grow on canvas 8" by 10" ($25)

orange bloom on canvas 8" by 10" ($25)

peace flower on wood 8" by 9 1/2" ($30)

pinwheels on wood 12" by 8" ($35)

purple grow on canvas 9" by 12" ($35)

red daisy on wood 8" by 12" ($30)

red flower on green wood 8" by 12" (30)

If you are interested in purchasing one of these pieces,

please email lsamasheart at gmail dot com

Listening

"Differences are not intended to separate, to 

alienate. We are different precisely in order to 

realize our need of one another." 

(Desmond Tutu) 

 This is a blog about my art and yet much of my art is about my life and lessons learned.  I don't intend to focus on words and yet need to share what can happen when we quit needing to be right and listen with the ears of our heart open and our pride closed.

With each passing year I am learning more about what grace truly means.  I find less of a need to be right and more of a need to love. 

 And this is what happens when I allow that to have life:

This pieces while nice were, well, nice.

After listening without pride to a suggestion made in love, this is what they became:

Today, listen with the ears of your heart open and those of your pride closed.  You might find a gift that has been searching for you.

both pieces are available, please email me at lsamasheart at gmail dot com if you are interested

casting flowers

what do you do when you find a bunch of this stuff in your stash?

why of course you paint it...

cut it into petals...

and make the petals into flowers and turn them into a picture...

Both pieces are available, leave a comment if interested.

Using household items

I am participating in Creative Jumpstart hosted by N*Studio.  Our project was to create something using ordinary household items and/or Liquitex paints.  In the following pictures I used:

burlap

bubble wrap

biscuit cutter

milk cap

onion bag mesh

potato masher

plastic fork

plastic knife

spool end

toilet paper roll

Posted in journal

I used various paints (the only Liquitex on my table was heavy body) on these journal pages.  I also posted on my Facebook page and instagram (lsamasheart ~ #cjs2014).