Shine Bright!
A new year is upon us and while I am not a resolution maker, I do like to reflect. I reflect on what has served my soul well, allowing me to be the best me I can be. I have found that when we honor the soul, we shine bright, positively affecting those around us. Sometimes, we may not even be aware of the beautiful impact we have had on others!
I will be a forever work in progress, so I like to call my reflections, “I will continue to strive to’s.” I share with you here, my top 12 as I make my way into 2021.
I will continue to strive to…
♥️live each day with gratitude & view every moment of every day as a gift.
♥️handle inevitable life challenges with grace & dignity.
♥️always leave people better than I found them.
♥️learn & grow, recognizing mistakes will be made along the way.
♥️be thoughtful to all those around me by listening intently and expressing kindness.
♥️keep in mind that everyone is on a different life journey.
♥️cherish the wisdom of others, of all ages.
♥️honor my intuition & listen to my heart.
♥️be in the moment, taking in the blessings that live all around.
♥️never take for granted the roof over my head, food on my table and the family & friends by my side.
♥️remember that strength isn’t always a roar & that laughter is the best medicine.
♥️be grateful for & honor the gift of the creative world my dad shared with me as a child by continuing to write, paint, create from my heart & soul … hoping it will inspire and touch the hearts & souls of others.
Happy New Year to all! May you shine bright in 2021…and beyond!
♥️, Jana
A Flower For My Princess, Acrylic on Canvas ~ William F. Tull, 1971
The 8-Tracks
Three or four at a time fit in the glovebox of our Ford LTD, Country Squire Station Wagon. You know, the car with the wood paneling down the sides and the facing each other rear seats! It was the perfect vehicle for our family, roomy enough to tote friends and tennis equipment around & came complete with an 8-track player!
I remember the windows rolled down and the music cranked up on almost every car ride … it was the 1970’s, a decade of good music and groovy times. There were many trips to Circles Records, the “it” place to purchase the newly released albums. I would ride my bike with the yellow banana seat and tall flag off the back to the music store at the mall (the open air Scottsdale Fashion Square) on weekends. I spent hours looking through the records and tracks & when an artist that I loved came out with a new release I would be first in line. The 8-tracks were just so cool & fun to collect. We had a pretty impressive collection but couldn’t bring the entire lot with us in the car, especially on hot summer days, so we took turns picking out which artists came with us on our drives.
I recall the tapes I went back to time and again: Olivia Newton-John‘s Greatest Hits, Simple Dreams by Linda Ronstadt and John Denver’s Greatest Hits. I can still see the cover of each one of those 8-tracks…played them so many times the label covers began to peel off. You couldn’t rewind or fast forward so if there was a song you wished to play over & over you had to be patient and listen all the way through before your favorite would appear again. I remember often sitting in the car on warm summer evenings, in our dusty desert driveway, waiting for the track to get back to my favorite song… bare feet relaxing on the dashboard, passenger seat reclined…most likely wearing my white Ditto shorts and my favorite faded Gap t-shirt!
One song was and still is my absolute favorite: “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt. Her voice like velvet, always taking me away to a peaceful place, a place of relaxation and dreams come true. I must have listened to that song thousands of times in that Ford Station Wagon. I got lost in the lyrics, belting it right out loud along with my fellow Arizona girl! My favorite songs now live on a playlist but oh, how I would love to see the 8-track make a comeback …the feel of the tape in my hand and that sound of the click into the player…waiting for my favorite song to take me to that beautiful, Blue Bayou.
♥️, Jana
Blessings to Linda as she continues the good fight with the illness that has taken her incredibly beautiful singing voice …she has truly blessed us over the years with her gift! And now, she continues to give us all a gift by the courage she sings! ”In my mind — in my imagination — I can still sing.” ~ Linda Ronstadt
A Grateful Heart
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Pause for a moment and think about the beautiful & tender heart…beating strong, pumping energy into the human body. Incredibly powerful, rhythmic and super sensing this heart of ours is … it beats fast with feelings of excitement, it flutters with feelings of love, it pains with feelings of hurt, it pounds with feelings of anger, it warms with feelings of happiness….it is packed full of accomplishments as well as lessons learned. And when we fill our heart with gratitude for all of these experiences, even the painful ones, it grows and fills with more and more joy. And that joy from that gratitude…well, it is felt by others and it is contagious!
I have learned to be good to my heart, as this lifeline is strong, yet fragile. I have learned to honor my heart, allowing it to feel and heal when it hurts, embrace and share when it joys. This delicate dance will be performed over and over again in a lifetime… that is how resilient this beautiful, tender and strong organ of ours is. The heart was so brilliantly named & identifies as the symbol of love. Love, the most powerful of emotions, flows out into the world through our actions, magnified by our gratitude.
My heart is full…grateful for the incredible blessings in my life…my beautiful family, my dear friends, the sweet nature all around, the challenges experienced, the life adventures & people I have met along the way and the list goes on! I am grateful for this place to share my thoughts and thankful for you, the beautiful human who took the time to visit here! I wish you all a Happy and Joy-Filled Thanksgiving! With love, from my grateful heart…today, forever and always!
Love,
Jana
♥️My wish came true… I met the beautiful human who placed the first heart rock under the little tree on one of my favorite hikes. I will share more on this incredible meeting of ours but for now, my heart is glowing from this amazing experience!
The Sunshine On My Shoulders
“Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
If I had a day that I could give you
I’d give to you the day just like today
If I had a song that I could sing for you
I’d sing a song to make you feel this way
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high
If I had a tale that I could tell you
I’d tell a tale sure to make you smile
If I had a wish that I could wish for you
I’d make a wish for sunshine for all the while
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost all the time makes me high”
~John Denver
xo, Jana
Fireplace Romance
A recent trip to my favorite wood yard and cooler Phoenix temperatures has me in a cozy mood! Alligator Juniper and Olive woods are carefully placed upon my fireplace grate and with one match strike, the magic begins.
There is something romantic about the flames of a crackling fire. I get lost in the moment, staring deep into the strong, flickering light of the burning embers. Curled up next to the glow, I feel warm, grounded and peaceful.
Lights are turned down low…the room is transported to another place and time…completely dreamy…my thoughts drift away…far away …
♥️Jana
Flower Love!
I have always been in love with flowers of all kinds! It is a love affair that began at a very young age. I would visit the flower nursery with my mom to pick out the most vibrant and velvety geraniums we could find. Once transported home, I loved digging in the dirt and then assisting with the careful planting of the pretty blooms. The love grew with the watering and pruning of the plants, teaching me tenderness & care.
To this day, visiting a flower nursery is a special outing for me. I always must plan for a few hours as I enjoy strolling up and down each aisle taking in all of the beauty, noticing the intricate detail in each species of flowering plant. Incredibly, there are approximately 400,000 flowering plants that live on this planet! It is truly mind blowing there are that many possible combinations giving each of those blooms their own unique look. Of course, not all can be seen at the local nursery but certainly a nice array lives there…. enough to fill my senses and get my flower fix. It is that same feeling I get when I visit a doggie shelter …. I would love to take them all home with me!
My love affair with flowers shows up in my art. Currently, I am working on a new flower series and while my flower paintings are more of an abstract view of nature, I strive to capture that feminine and robust feeling! I have always enjoyed sketching, drawing and painting blooms … the first painting I ever sold (pictured below) is a painting titled , “Black Flowers” which lives in a lovely home in Phoenix. Flower love will forever be a part of me …these intricate gifts from nature give me energy, bring me joy, nourish my soul and plant more and more love in my heart each & every time I witness their incredible beauty!
Love,
Jana
The Morning Light
The air is sweet, peaceful, grace-filled ~ a time to just be, in silence ~ a time to set beautiful intentions for the day. With gratitude, I welcome in the morning light ~
Love,
Jana
The Truck Ride Home
“I love your painting titled: ‘Bright Abstract‘…I am driving my truck out to Phoenix at the end of the month to pick it up!” ~ Ginger
It is always a thrill to sell a painting and at the same time it is hard to part with each one…so much love and passion goes into the entire creative process. It is like attaching colors to my soul and then brushing those soul-filled colors onto a canvas. I have learned that I must stay true to self by painting what feels good to me even though it may not appeal to all. I am thankful my clients feel this honoring of “trueness“ when they share their excitement to own one of my originals. It is fun to listen to them interpret my work and think out loud about where in their home they will display it ….and it is really fun to receive a photo of my (now, their) art in action!
Art is an important addition to a space and creates a “feel” upon entering a room…art pulls it all together! Over the years, I have found that my work compliments many different home styles from Contemporary to Hacienda, Traditional to Mid-Century and Ranch to Mission. It is fun when a client invites my work into their home, creating a look that speaks to them. It is like my artwork has been invited to a personal decorating party!
Ginger has a deep appreciation for the creative as she happens to be an artist herself. She also owns & operates with love, Dust Devil Ranch, a horse rescue sanctuary in Cedar City, Utah. …a place surrounded by beautiful animals, goodness, hard work and joy! Thank you Ginger, for the tender care you give to those sweet & majestic horses… “Bright Abstract” truly went to an incredible home! Thank you for sharing this snapshot of where it landed in your cool & personal ranch space, after the long…truck ride home. I am honored!
Love,
Jana
The Little Leaf
It has been said that the “little things” in life are really the big things. A smile, a kind word, a handwritten note, a wagging tail, a hug from an old friend, rocking a sleeping baby, a sunset, laughter, a compliment, the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings, a helping hand, a gentle touch…
The collective energy of these little things makes our universe sing! We must remind ourselves, in this exaggerated world, to tune-in and experience the small day-to-day happenings. We have been programmed to believe we have to cram as much as possible into our every day to be successful. Experiencing the little things, the giving & the receiving, as we pause for that moment in time, is a huge success and is much more beautiful & significant than we could ever imagine!
On a recent grocery store trip, I noticed a little brown leaf on a lovely speckled pear. The leaf, incredibly dainty, yet still in tact even after the growing, picking, washing, transporting, displaying, bagging, buying and then the transporting again…to my kitchen. I just know that this little leaf made it through that journey to remind me to pay attention to the little things in life and that a successful day may be as simple as a smile. Thank you, little pear leaf, I am grateful for the sweet reminder!
♥️Jana
Little Hands
“The Art of Surprise” has been on the road bringing the joy of creating to the children! Hunting and gathering in nature for supplies, combined with pigments & tactile mediums, welcomes creative surprises galore!
The happiness I feel sharing the love of art with these darling children is life-changing. The unbridled creativity that flows through these little hands inspires me! The freeness to explore in a nonjudgmental way is what I wish for my adult participants, as I always encourage them to tap into their inner child that knows no bounds. A child is not concerned about what is happening to the left or right of them rather, just the happenings that are right in front of them…the use of color and forms as they wish without hesitation. What a beautiful and freeing dance to witness!
Little hands will one day be big hands, with many life experiences stored in the heart on this life journey. My hope is that these little artists will always remember their creative time: The Art of Surprise with Miss Jana, and how they were flying free with expression. A place and feeling they can always tap into even when those little hands are all grown up!
The Art of Surprise / August 2020
“A Bug Named Silly” / Mixed media on canvas
Greyson ~ age 5
