Marie Jonsson Harrison » author

165. ART & FIFTY LIFE LESSONS BY REGINA BRETT

mariejon — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:51:13 +0000

ART BLOG AND 50 LIFE LESSONS

Today’s art blog was going to be about something entirely different but then when I turned on my computer and checked the emails I got sent “50 Life Lessons” by Regina Brett by a friend. Well actually it was called 45 life lessons in the email and also said to be written by a 90 year old whereas the real author is only 56 however the contents and the life lessons that were brought up so resonated with me that I did want to share them with you.

ACRYLIC PAINTING

I though this acrylic on board cat painting would go well here as it is called “Celebrate our nine lives”. Underneath this artwork are “THE 50 LIFE LESSONS “and afterwards I will tell you a bit more about the wonderful author/columnist/journalist Regina Brett.

THE ART OF LIFE

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift..

MORE ART BLOGS WITH QUOTES TO LIVE BY

If you want to read some more uplifting quotes by a variety of different authors have a look at these art blogs 136 Quote and Unquote in Art and 148 Art and my Favourite Quotations

THE ART OF THE AUTHOR

Regina Brett was born 31^st of May 1956 and is a journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist and writes for the Plain Dealer which is a daily newspaper in Ohio. To date she has also written two books “God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little detours” as well as “Be the Miracle: 50 Lessons for making the impossible possible” which was published in 2012. She has been nominated for umpteen awards and also won several outright for her writing.

THE ART OF LIFE

Regina says her lessons in life comes from being a single parent for the first 18 years, struggling to find the right partner and battling breast cancer at 41 years of age. Put that together with healing the bruises from a bumpy childhood and also what she has learned from her readers during her time as a journalist. She says she is thrilled to be growing old – having battled breast cancer especially, however it is slightly amusing that she is said to be 90!

She says that she is happy for her life lessons to be forwarded on as long as her name is kept on them of course.

So I leave you then with Regina Brett’s quote;

“Growing old beats the alternative – dying young”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES. Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

150 ART TRAIL & FATHERS DAY

mariejon — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:30:10 +0000

Happy Fathers Day to my darling Daddy and to all you wonderful fathers out there. I wish you a wonderful day.

Father’s day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in many countries, but it is also celebrated on other days and here in Australia it is on the first Sunday in September. If you fancy reading an art blog about mothers day here is a link; 134 Mothers Day and Mothers Guilt & Art or perhaps read about my talented father and his own art;20. Antonis Tivoli Art and 21. Life in a Circus Tent

THE ART OF THE FATHERS DAY CELEBRATION

Sonora Dodd was the founder of Father’s Day in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. She wanted to celebrate her father the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, who was a single parent and raised six children. Her initial thought was to celebrate it on June 5^th which was her dad’s birthday. It didn’t meet with much enthusiasm initially and by the 1920’s Sonora got busy with her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and stopped promoting the celebration. It wasn’t until 1930’s when she enlisted the help of some trade groups such as manufacturers of ties and tobacco, which would benefit from the holiday that the special day started to make small inroads. You know the drill – money makes the world go around, lol.

The celebration was resisted by many as being too commercialized but the trade groups saw the benefit from such a day and continued the publicity until the rest of us weakened and gave in to the idea. Well actually the American President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers with a special day in 1966 and then six years later President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972 – so you can thank him for that too and not just Watergate LOL!

Normally we would spend father’s day all together as a family, and catching up with both sets of grandparents but this year we celebrated my dad’s day a couple of weeks early and had a really lovely time.

SWEDISH MID SUMMER PAINTING

Just as we always did in Sweden too, here is a painting of the Swedish Midsummer celebrations that we so enjoyed. This acrylic on board painting was commissioned by my USA Gallery and sold there.

This time I had a day out with both my mum and dad, just the 3 of us and that was really lovely. We met at the Holdfast Bay Discovery Center at Glenelg where I am part of the Sala Festival exhibition; Play at the Bay. A great show with lots of uplifting and colorful art by some 20 artists, who for the most part live by the sea.

ART TRAIL AT GLENELG

We followed that up by venturing out on the Art Trail on Jetty road which advertises itself as a “Visual feast to stimulate your senses”. It was great to see that the local shops had for the most part gotten on board and there were lots of signs advertising art in coffee shops and galleries on the side roads too.

THE ARTIST REG MOMBASA

We particularly enjoyed the exhibition at Sussex Street Art, Music & Books; seeing the art of Clinton Habib, Shelley Hughes, Chris White and Dean McPherson. They also had some limited edition prints by Mambo artist and former Mental as Anything band member Reg Mombasa who I am a big fan of.

I was introduced to Reg once at a gallery and he said he was a fan of my work too, so that put a smile on my face!

Anyway after the diet of art we went to Indochine for some lunch and artistic discussions, followed by another meander down the street and coffee at Gloria Jeans. A really lovely day, so Thank you mum and dad, love you both lots!

Here a quote that amused me about father’s day;

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” (Author unknown)

This one reflects more accurately how I feel about my daddy also by an unknown author;

“Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx

87 Art & It could be worse, they could be fleas

mariejon — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 05:41:15 +0000

ACRYLIC PAINTING

This acrylic on canvas board painting is part of my “Cat & Dog” series. The inspiration for these artworks is all the years living at the farm as well as being an animal lover from way back. You have to admit that a swarm full of butterflies is a lot better than fleas, not so sure about the bees though.

CATS AND ART

When we moved recently we had to leave one of our cats behind Ozzie is his name a gorgeous gray and white cat, the trouble with him was he never learned the nack of being house trained. Instead he would save up his “business” I’m sure for when he came inside and promptly go to our son’s room, back up against the wall and do “it”. Very unsavory to find when you happened upon it later. So consequently he became an outside cat, and I think he prefers it that way too. We were very lucky that the people that bought the farm were happy to keep him on; he does you see, earn his keep, as he is a great mouser!

PAINTING CATS

Our daughter’s cat Milo moved with us and used a litter tray for the first month or so in the new house but now we have a cat door so he comes and goes as he pleases. We think he is a lovely cat but I may have to rethink that now as I caught him having a major scrap with the neighbor’s cat. I did feel a bit bad about it as since we have moved here we put the blame on the “bad cat” next door beating up our sweet, innocent darling. However when I caught Milo red-handed, flying out from his hidden vantage point and attacking the neighbor’s cat, I just may have to admit he is not the angel I thought.

But I still felt a bit sorry for Milo (I think he came out second best) as he lay on our bed for the next few days nursing a cut on his head and a cheek which had swelled up to twice the normal size.

POEMS ABOUT CATS

Now I am again going to share with you a poem by my friend from Scotland, Annamarie Causer, writer, columnist and author of many poetry books. Here is a link to one of the websites CRAIGMILLAR that she writes for called (look under Memories for a Diary of a Countryside Lady).

This poem was written about her own cat which was 19 years old and very sick at this time when Annamarie took him to the vet, and she was sure the only outcome would be the poor cat’s demise.

ODE TO A PUT-UPON & BLIGHTED KITTY
Whey
Hey
And what do I have on today?
A trip to the PDSA.
Cat [carrier] box on the busy bus.
How he doth writhe …me? well I just cuss!
The death knell,
That ominous bell
Was pronounced.
Uh,
Huh, I stood my ground.
I tells them
Ahem,
I renounced
Their findings.
Several hours later
Now here’s me minding
My own business.
The phone trings
Would you plez brings
Your catty box.
This isn’t a cat ..he’s a ravenous fox
Eating up a storm.
It really can’t wait till morn.
Now he sits sprawling
Waiting
Anticipating?
Tongue lolling.
Toothless.
Not mauling,
Any more.
Ever debating.
What’s happened to my teef?
I’ve got a real beef
‘Bout my tongue…where does it go now?
Gee-whizz, wish I’d been born a bow
Wow♥

So the lesson from this is to remember it’s not over until it’s over and here is a quote I like by Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire (philosopher & writer)

“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx (c)

If you enjoyed this art blog about cats you may like this very funny one about 2 dogs 28. ART & Sometimes its just about the little noises you hear

24. Noodles Anyone – painting

Marie — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:25:17 +0000

COUNTRY ARTS

I had so much fun painting this painting “Noodles Anyone” which depicts Francis and Putu , a couple who run this fantastic restaurant in the small mid north town of Burra called White Cedars Indonesian Cafe and Gallery.

ART & BALI

It is the last place on earth that you would expect to find a gorgeous little Balinese place, but once you’ve been there you have to return.

I don’t remember how I was initially introduce to them, but what I did know right away was that I really liked them both and we had so much in common particularly as we go nearly every year to Bali.

They asked me a couple of years ago to have an ART exhibition there for the Sala Festival and a great success it was too, they do not do things by half.

White Cedars was filled to overflowing with people and both the food and the wine were too. It is the people that make a town great so hats off guys!

You see Putu is from Bali and Francis after spending 32 years as a Primary school teacher built his ultra-modern minimalist dream house at Maslin Beach SA.

Four years later the adventure bug bit and Francis moved to Bali where he met Putu and together they built another dream house but this time in the Balinese traditional style with grass roof and open to the elements surrounded by a vibrant tropical garden, jungle and fast flowing streams and art of course.

They eventually decided to pick up stumps and settled in Burra where despite the cold they have made a wonderful go of it. So much so that Putu is now becoming a true blue Aussie this coming Saturday.

ARTISTIC LICENCE

On this painting it is Putu dancing on the table in their establishment, he actually does a stunning Balinese performance and has even done so at several major events around the state although I must claim artistic licence to the noodles between the toes, I never did see him do that, lol.

Putu also doubles as the head chef, whilst Francis handles front of house with nothing being too much trouble for his guests. So if you are in Burra look them up!

This exhibition has now come and gone but went very well and I thank you all for attending Naive View.

Apart from my artworks in the main gallery, there was also artworks on show by the Ladies from the Valley showing Pots ‘n’ Paints and also Parallel 1930 by Gaara Arts showing works by Broken Hill Women Artists.

AUTHOR & jOURNALIST

It is being opened by Nadine Williams, acclaimed international journalist and author of the bestseller “From France with Love” which has now also been optioned to be made into a movie. So it should be quite a swell affair. Here is an art blog 101 From France with Love on Nadine.

I know for most of you spread across the world that is way too far to go, maybe next time.

Here is another quote I like by Ernestine Ulmer (writer)

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

Happy painting and Sculpting everyone.

Love Marie xxx