Blog

Inspiration from a red-winged blackbird I was watching a red-tailed hawk soar below me when the strangest thing happened. I live high up in an apartment at the edge of town. The bird life here is incredible. Hawks, ospreys, blue herons, and a colourful myriad of smaller birds chirp and flutter nearby. You likely have watched smaller birds harassing a bird of prey by dive-bombing it. I was watching exactly that – but from above. The hawk was followed closely by a little red-winged blackbird. The blackbird was doing the usual dive and peck when suddenly, it wasn’t. To my amazement, the blackbird sat down on the back of the hawk and took a ride! I could hardly believe it. Then, as though to convince me this was real, it took off, circled back, and had another brief ride. If you too have difficulty believing this, you could Google it. It is a thing; we don’t see it because we are watching from below. I thought, what a gutsy little bird. It got me thinking, what things do I fear; I wonder, can I hitch a ride on any of them? Instead of circling fears, what if they can be used to move us forward? Teaching art to adults, I have met many folks afraid to try something creative, even though they feel it calling to them. Afraid of criticism or failure. To be a beginner takes courage. Here are a few points of encouragement, if you are in that place. Even the most famous were beginners once. Your favourite artist. Your favourite musician. Your favourite actor. They did not pop out of the womb holding a microphone. They were beginners once. Creative folk tend to be encouraging. Nearly all fellow students or artists you meet will want to cheer you on. Failure is a part of being creative for everyone. Embracing creativity helps keep you and your grey matter in a happy place of growing and learning; much better than a lonely place of stagnating. Teaching art for 25 years has taught me that overcoming the fear of trying something creative— song, dance, music, painting, theatre, and other such outlets— has the potential to be a wonderful ride. You see… What struck me most watching that brave little red-winged blackbird was; I think they were having fun! Not everything I write is published on this website blog. If you want to read all my writings, you could connect with me on Medium. This platform allows 3 free articles per month for non-members to read. Members pay $5 US per month and in return have access to unlimited articles on almost every topic imaginable.  Here is a link to my profile which also shows other articles I have published on Medium. Cheryl O Art writes on Medium 

And other things I’ve learned about aging There’s One in Every Room – acrylic collage by Cheryl O Art I have some issues with getting old. Granted, it doesn’t seem to matter whether I have issues. It just keeps happening. One gem I’ve picked up; and this is one size fits all. Exercise. The brain loves it. It can stave off dementia. Holy smokes people! Isn’t that enough right there to get you walking more? I like my brain, most of the time, as it is. Thank you very much. Exercise. The body loves it. It can postpone those aches. Keep things in motion longer. Some folks like to be reclusive, but heck, you don’t want that to be your only choice. Hmm… dark image there. Exercise. The energy loves it. It’s like free caffeine; that is after you get over the initial tiring effects and persevere to the energy effect. For me, that was about 6 weeks. Now I’m there and enjoying more energy and longer days, I do not want to have to do those 6 weeks again, so I am keeping at it. Exercise. The spirit — oh dang — the spirit has trouble getting excited about exercise. But for now, my spirit must live with this brain and this body, so I will diligently flail about to my exercise DVD. I don’t pay for a gym membership. I don’t have to drive anywhere to do this, so the weather doesn’t matter. It works for me. Science has yet to figure out the full body transplant (have at that one, you sci-fi writers), so we are stuck with it, exercise. Just do it. Peaches in a Blue Bowl – acrylic painting by Cheryl O Art Food is another undeniable necessity. I like food, but I would rather be painting or writing. Enter frozen entrees. Some are tasty. You can figure out which ones you like. Is this healthy? Not really. So, I say to myself, add something green to that. Salads are not tricky. Throw some cherry tomatoes and little carrots at a batch of pre-washed spinach, find a couple of salad dressings I like, and my meal just got a lot healthier. Or rinse some fresh green beans and microwave them for 4 minutes. I can do that and still have lots of painting/writing time. Meanwhile, don’t follow me for more recipes. There are food and exercise gurus out there who can give you lots of wisdom about these topics. You can get off your no bum and figure this out. (Talking to myself here too.) You will love yourself more for it. Your friends and family will also love you for it. Connections Friends and family. Oh, golly they are disappearing like sugar into hot oatmeal. What to do? Cry — then treasure those that remain. My Mom always said, ‘No memorial places to visit for me. When I’m gone, get on with your life.’ No disrespect meant for those who value the memorials, but maybe Mom knew what would work best for me. It does. With multiple departures from the planet, until it’s your turn, find ways to have new connections too. The bright and somewhat more energetic you needs places to shine, even 

Some are searching for great photo references. Acrylic collage by Cheryl O Art I am not a lawyer. What follows are some of my personal experiences and practices concerning copyright — just a small part of what copyright means for creatives. The artist was upset. They were lamenting that a recent painting of theirs had possibly been copied shortly afterward by a magazine. My initial sympathy was with the artist — until I looked closer. The paintings were each of a flock of birds fluttering around a famous historical figure. Here’s the key — none of the birds looked the same across the 2 paintings. The figures were also not similar, other than representing the same person. Bottom line; you cannot copyright an idea. This is common sense. Otherwise, the first person who painted a horse jumping over a fence could say, “No one else can paint a horse jumping over a fence.” Untenable. Concerning the bird paintings, what shocked me about that social media post was the number of comments by friends encouraging the painter to get a lawyer to ‘protect their rights’. This was a recommendation to put $350 per hour up in smoke. Copyright is automatic for creatives in Western countries under international copyright treaties. As an artist here is some of what I keep in mind to respect the rights of other creatives. 1. Photographers own the copyright to their photos. It’s a great time to be an artist. We’ve all got cameras on our phones, no lugging of heavy lenses for most of us, and can take our own photos to work from. If taking photos doesn’t work for you, some fantastic sites offer open-source photos for artists. Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay, to name a few, have wonderful images on any subject. Contributing photographers generously make their photos freely available to artists, no attribution or royalties required. Just be aware that mixed in with open-source photos there can be ads for photos that require royalty payments, to note what you are clicking on. If you are accessing photos from any source online, it is important to read the fine print. Some have restrictions such as no commercial use. You cannot sell those paintings. Or, they may require that the photographer receives attribution or a royalty fee per use. Making yourself aware of the rules on any photography site can help keep you out of trouble concerning copyright laws. 2. You cannot copyright a palette; i.e. a specific group of colours used together Painters, you might find a colour combination used by a particular painter that you love. Whether it is the intense colours used by Lawren Harris, or the unsaturated browns in an Alex Colville painting — you can paint using those same colours with no copyright infringement. 3. You cannot copyright a style. There is nothing wrong with attempting to paint with the luscious thick brush strokes of van Gogh, the dark backgrounds of Rembrandt, or the abstracted blocks of Picasso. We all stand on the shoulders of the artists who went before. However, I am aware of an exception to the style rule, and that is the style frequently used by Indigenous artists. I respect that. We have horrifyingly taken so much 

A new writer to Medium ponders, what the hey? Breakers – watercolour by Cheryl O Art Amid thousands of excellent writers and myriads of fine articles, my words are teensy tiny drops. Not even a splash. That would be my current position, which is to be expected, being new. So what the hey am I doing on here? Audacious or naïve or just up for a lot of Grammarly icons? It could be those or something else altogether. Those baby ducks who jump out of trees and plummet to the ground? Oddly, they are supposed to do that. Perhaps I’m supposed to write. But this doesn’t answer the why. Confession: I’ve done some writing. Art courses for adults for over 25 years, a weekly art and creativity newsletter for 11 years. But this? This is different. Could I have an original idea to write about? Ha! Now, to think THAT would be naïve. Even if the fiery heat of my continually overthinking brain should produce the odd rough diamond, chances are huge: it’s been thunk before. A more plausible possibility is, that I may have a way of expressing an idea where the expression is uniquely mine. Humans are full of unique variations from the hair on your toes (yes, Bilbo, humans can also have hair on their toes) to the ideas your gray matter likes to cozy up with. We are individuals — distinct entities. You are uniquely you and here’s the point. If you like my voice, if my thoughts resonate with you, my writings could be a princess-missing-slipper fit for your treasured reading time. Stretching the mind with thoughts expressed in a particular creative way is one type of reading experience. There are also life experiences to share. I have a few and hope they make you smile. Laughing is good too — no judgment about snorting either. This next thing, it’s real for me. I don’t want to die before I have used up every drop of creativity the Creator put into me. Wrung out and drip-dried with the last bit of moisture sailing away on a summer breeze. Until then, for sure it’s about connecting; finding other like-minded humans; looking for the lovers of life. I know you’re there. We can cheer each other on. It can be deeply comforting to know you are not alone and I hope to encourage you to love life even more. The haters are real too, I’ve known a few and will likely share some stories about dealing with them. However, I will try not to bleed on you too often. Live for a little while and everyone has scars. Occasionally my scars, or joys, may show up as a poem. It’s that creative spirit — hard to hold it down once it starts flapping frantically. Quick example. While painting “Happiness Skips”, the little poem below also bloomed into being. I had to stop painting for a minute to write it down. Happiness Skips – acrylic by Cheryl O Art Pensive sits.Laughter slips.Sorrow saunters.Happiness skips!Cheryl O Art Creativity is paramount in my world. I have learned from happy experience, art friends are the best, but only a few years ago I came to understand that there is a practical 

How wonder has affected me and how to experience that more. Published in Illumination on Medium Surprised by Wonder I remember my first moment of wonder. I was about 4 years old at my grandmother’s house. In her sitting room (yes, that was a thing) my Nana had curtains with a red poinsettia pattern. The sun suddenly came out, striking that fabric, transforming it to a glowing intensity of color that reached out and grabbed my heart. Time was suspended. I was completely oblivious to anything else but that brilliant color. Wonder. Wonder frequently takes us by surprise. The deer vaults across the trail and then, just as suddenly, completely dissolves into the forest leaving us wonder-struck. Then there was the day a flock of red dragonflies accompanied me, flying all about me, even sitting on my jacket, while I walked to the institute where my father was dying. That never happened before, or since. I still feel a surge of wonder when I think of that. Stack Your Odds of Encountering Wonder You likely remember the moments when wonder surprised you. Often it’s in nature. Putting yourself into places where nature surrounds you can be a catalyst. Another place that Wonder frequents is creativity. Creativity in almost any form, whether you are the one creating, or enjoying someone else’s creations, creativity can also be a space that invites wonder. Music is a great example. We have all been moved to wonder by a special song and that joy can return to us as our mind plays it again. (No, not that annoying song. The good ones.) Yet wonder is not limited to any one place or type of experience. I have known moments of wonder when a friend expressed their understanding about something difficult I was going through. There is a sudden lifting of the heart when it becomes apparent that they do get it. The wonder of special connections is real too. Streamside – watercolour by Cheryl O Art Effects of Wonder Here’s something magical about those moments of wonder. They stop the noise. Without warning, the frantic racing of modern life is brought to an abrupt halt. Can you hear the focused stillness? Sometimes you hold your breath to try not to break the spell. Sometimes you gasp. Whether you are consciously aware or not, these moments carry conviction — there is more to life than work. There is more to life than the things that hound and worry you. There are moments of wonder. Stopping the constant noise of our world can be a revolutionary life-altering act. Instead of the mind racing toward the next item on the to-do list (AKA ‘do-do’ list), worrying about that thing you said or didn’t say — unexpectedly, you are here. Right here. Holding your breath or breathing in deeper with wonder. Mindfulness? I hear you saying, “Oh, mindfulness. You are talking about mindfulness.” Yes, but I’ve struggled with that term. My problem with the word mindfulness is, that it’s everywhere (overuse?) and I never really got it. Meditation was encouraged and that was supposed to start with breathing. I mean, thinking about your breathing. Concentrating on my breathing just reminded me that my lungs were damaged long ago from too many 

Artists are lucky. I’m looking out the window and seeing a steady rain. I associate this with guilt-free painting time. No brisk exercise walk. When I had one, no garden work. Although these can be quite lovely too, I’d rather be painting. Rain doesn’t make me gloomy. Well okay, if there are weeks of it, it can, but generally not. Rather than make me gloomy rain tends to give me time to paint. Hooray! It’s raining! Naturally, I don’t want to have to depend on the weather to decide to paint. However, I appreciate when I feel encouraged to get the brush moving, and am aware of the things that can help me with that. Some are under my control, some are not. It’s about knowing yourself. What things help you get to your art-making? Take note of those and make full use of them. If you would like to get weekly art tips and info on upcoming courses you can sign up for the newsletter here.