i guess this explains it:
flowery…
As we prepare for our first child, and as life around us begins to transform and change…I can’t help but notice flowers. Flowers spark buds, bloom fully, and then repeat the cycle of death back into the soil. This process is fascinating to me especially as our baby is only 3 weeks away from entering into this world. Life won’t ever look the same for him, and Joel and I are hoping we can offer him peace + stability.
I took this photo in my studio of a very special clay art piece from mexico, and a book I was studying last semester with the artist Julia Fish. It is an amazing book on “Colour” and I highly recommend it. “Color Chart” Ann Temkin
As we appreciate the gift of color around us, and take a sense of what a fun God this must be…I am reminded to trust the cycle.
Words
What is it about words that are so light and heavy all at once? How can we use words to support ourselves and the ones we love, without causing damage?
i really am…thankful!
i took this photo when we were visiting close friends in san francisco last weekend. looking across the golden gate bridge, i realized these trees were superbly under photographed. the way they sway in the wind and roar against the waves is truly remarkable. everyone (including us) takes photos with the bridge in the background, so it begged me to question, aren’t these trees the true centerpiece.
i wonder sometimes in my life if i am missing beauty by rushing to the next “big event”. this trip really supported us in slowing down, and breathing in nature. i really am thankful! i am thankful that i am trying to take one day at-a-time…and really soak up the beautiful small blessings that fall all over the place once i start looking.
we are so so filled with a full rich life! rich with people we love, in relationships we cherish that roar with laughter and not taking ourselves too seriously.
this thanksgiving, i want to keep laughing. i want to support those around me and not be so selfish. i want to listen well, and dig deep into the community right where my two feet land. i am thankful because i am not perfect, and i am still loved. loved by an amazing Artist God and so many golden hearted people.
have a happy thanksgiving today…with the richest “things” around you called people.
Creating into the Fall…
It has been getting cooler outside, the leaves are turning faded shades of brown and orange, and Chicago is wearing it’s scarves and long leather boots. Having four seasons reminds me so much of watching a movie…you know those romantic comedies where the fling starts in Summer and then by Fall the couple goes through their first “fight”? For some reason, every time the seasons change I think mainly about God and they way the Spirit of God moves through Earth creating. Creating Art, Colour, and the Symphony of Nature is transitioning before my eyes. Its an awe-strucking slow movement to witness, but one has to be still to slow down enough to accept it.
I think its so cool to see myself and other Artists around me being knowingly or unknowingly influenced by this change. My hues and tones as I mix my paints seem a bit more calmed and gray…my sweaters went from bright orange and yellow to dark heather grey and blacks. How does Nature affect you, and how you create? You may notice it in Cooking with Fall Spices, or smelling Apple cider steam through a home on a crisp Fall day.
What affect does this ever evolving World have on us as people? And especially on being able to open our eyes slowly and clear enough to take it in?
This mixed medium piece I created last year at an interactive Gallery, and enjoyed working with new materials…there is more to it, but I liked how the colours in it resonated with my words above.
-mbr
breathe.rest.love:
“You know quite well, deep within you, that there is only a single magic, a single power, a single salvation…and that is called loving. Well, then, love your suffering. Do not resist it, do not flee from it. It is your aversion that hurts, nothing else.”
-Herman Hesse.
Quinn’s painting:
I made this painting for a family friend of mine named Quinn.
Quinn has the heart the size of the World. He is caring and kind, and gives people much grace to be who they are.
I was recently inspired by his constant desire to make himself a better person for the world that’s around him through helping others.
The Amber-Yellow Colour is of no mistake. He is joyful and carries love in every inch of his being!
I am confident that God created him in utter Joyousness, and finds pure Delight when looking at wonderful Quinn!
This piece represents his bubbling love, joy, and peace that he shares with all those who encounter his presence!
a day in the studio…
L O V E C O L O U R L I G H T P E A C E A R T 
D E S I G N C O M F O R T
I am really excited about days like these this summer, that I have been able to slowly soak into my studio space and create. It is something that I greatly appreciate and rest into. As a painter that supports original art, I have been so tempted lately to go to creating prints of my work…but something in me can’t do it. I like when Art is Alive and I have the only one from the Creator’s hands. To make a print is a fine way to get your work out there and hit a price point that many people can afford. I can see why artists do it and don’t judge them, because I may do them one day…but every time I think about the paintings I create, I am focused in on the importance of the One. One for One person that no one else has. This is what makes Art so special. In a culture that mass-produces so much of our products, there’s something to say for the Original.
G R A C E I N T O F A L L 
W O R D S M E A N I N G E V O K E P A S S I O N
Working and playing with Colour is so much fun! I am snagging all the bright hues and tones I can before the burnt oranges and browns slay me with the onset of Fall. The Sun is so vibrant and life giving, and I am working on 3 new paintings with these 3 colors right now. I am excited to reveal them soon in my Store: http://www.mobellapaints.etsy.com
Hope you all find a moment to use the brightness of Summer Sun Colour to create something beautiful, whether big or small!
-mbr
Nothing worth having…Comes Easy
I found this quote on Pinterest, and love the inspiration behind it!
sweetest family
…You know the type of people that you love being around because it renews your sense of hope? Well these friends are definitely those kind of people.
I can’t quite explain it, but every time we are around the Kurz family, our spirits are lifted. I think it is the patience and love they carry in their enduring spirits. I also believe in faith, clearer and more visibly, when I witness them loving their daughters…each one with unique gifts and in unique ways.
What a gift. A clear and simple reminder of what life is about. Loving people with patience and giving one another the space to extend graciousness. Only the Spirit of Love and God can do that. And we were so refreshed…
I don’t know a greater Peace in this crazy life. As they go on home across Oceans, we hope they will carry all of us in their hearts as a reminder of the community here that loves them all so deeply.
Cheers!
mobellapaints 