Wisdom at the Crossroads

Fifty is definitely cause for celebration for Wisdom at the Crossroads the podcast. This episode is shared with gratitude for all who are along for the ride: seeking, discovering, and finding pause within the noise of the busy lives we have chosen. Your support and enthusiasm is appreciated. Numerology aficionados would remind us that 50 signifies completion while also inspiring new beginnings. 50 offers an opportunity to reflect on the growth and evolution that has brought us to this present moment, while also inspiring us to trust our intuition and embrace the possibility the future holds. Our mindful meditation concludes this episode with a colourful visual journey in support of our creative enterprise. We invite our inner child out to be inspired to play, with colour and materials. Believe me when I say, there are no lines to be coloured in here.  

Tis the season for new growth with spring hopefully on the horizon at last. A new season on the paint wall is allowing for experimentation, discovery and, dependably, colour. Preparations for a “Spring Fling” at The Pulse Gallery in Winnipeg are shaping up to be the beginnings of a refreshingly colourful new chapter. Locals can join your host at The Forks April 1st, 2-4 pm. You'd be April foolish to miss it. NO JOKE! The show continues through till the end of the month. The Mandart meditation that concludes this episode continues the theme of growth and discovery. We take in a little forest bathing without the need for travel or passports. This self care practice can refresh your senses and help you to soar whatever the weather.  

“Each day is an opportunity to begin again, to forget the troubles of yesterday, to abandon our attachment to the promise of tomorrow.” Getting quiet and being still sounds simple but it can actually be quite complex. The queen of distraction gets lost and found in this episode. Organization may not be my forte, but it seems when I am ready for the words I have written while getting in touch with the deepest parts of myself, the universe will find a way for them to literally cross my path. Rediscovering meditative notes on presence when I am ready to accept and share their resonance was a reminder that today is where we begin. Nowhere is there more promise or potential. Join in the mindful self-care moment at 8:45 in the recording to seek and find presence, possibility, and peace, as we take a literal breath and engage in a simple process to alter the course of our natural rhythms, and connect to the wisdom the resides at our core.  

This episode is about embracing the season where a Canadian winter, wind sculpted snow banks, and variations on a white theme inspire a reflective trek. In a world of white, we dive into the magic of the landscape on a day where boundaries merged with atmospheric change to insulate the view. A view viewed through a window on the warm side of the glass thank you very much Easy does it is the theme of our self care practice in this episode. In a world where our only constant is change, we get reflective and together encourage a moment of respite from the busy lives we have chosen. Our vision narrows yet somehow simultaneously expands. Join in on this self pause at 4:36 in the recording.  

Every journey begins with a single step. In this one, we get a little primal, exploring first steps on some big new panels on the paint wall for an exhilarating trip through the process of marks and the making. The legacy of creators through generations of history, thought, and process, became the focus of travels in real time through the Art Gallery of Ontario during recent travel. How great is it to get out of town to explore art and history, to be inspired and curious and to make connections to the past, to wonder about the lives of others in different times? Like many of our mindful moments, the meditation in this episode is a virtual experience we explore together. Getting cozy and curious, we are encouraged to consider the marks that are left behind, the marks we are making in the moment, and what future marks might become our legacy.  

Warm thoughts on the paint wall on a cold winters day take us on a visual journey. Creative action invites some reflection as works in progress flow through the lovely subtleties of initial marks, only to crash and burn when judgement is applied. Add your own expletive here! In the meditation, we repurpose those flames and take a stroll down memory lane to a crisp evening in the fall. The story leads us to pause around a campfire, to visualize the snap and pop of poked logs in a contained circle where we too pause to be present, and to invite the aromatic medicine of the sacred fire within.  

A new year for the podcast! This anniversary edition inspired a new beginning that starts and ends with gratitude. Thank you for joining me in this experience of story as we pause to connect, to make ourselves available to the creative magic all around us through the action of slowing down It was your curiosity that motivated me to visualize this virtual morning tea or afternoon coffee break. In choosing to be present for you I am reconnecting with my own need for stillness and for that I am grateful Self care is the focus of our meditative practice in this episode where we encourage our automatic pilots who easily express gratitude for others, to step aside. This practice brings gratitude home by directing our mindful pause in mantra form, to all the parts of our body.  

Life is seriously too short to take ourselves too seriously. Through our mindful moments we can learn to nurture the elements within us. In the creative process I find myself in a place where the world quiets around me and I am fully present. I guess really I have learned to take myself to a place where the action and presence meet. In this episode, we open ourselves to getting our chi flowing and receiving the universal energy that supports us, wherever we are. It feels a bit like a cosmic embrace where we breathe, focus and receive and colour blooms to flow to all the areas of our bodies. Colour is a focus in my world. With this episode today we focus on a little blue period that encourages our throat chakra to speak and to share our personal wisdom. Together we go with the flow to discover “It is, I am, we are, and our only constant is change.” A version of this meditation originally paired with “Singing the Blues” in episode 10. Find the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals of both episodes and please feel free to invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll learn to create a personal sanctuary as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

DISCLAIMER: This meditative process may lead you to find the wisdom your soul yearns to share. Viewer discretion is advised! I am a fairly private person and not generally prone to public vulnerability yet i am the Mand in this mindful MANDart moment where I invite you behind the curtain to experience the magic of process as it is revealed. This episode is all about personal practice. In it I step way outside my comfort zone to share the written meditative process I use to access the wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet. Listen in to rest your heart in the details of your own story and trust me this process, with practice, will be an enlightening and inspiring interaction to add to your meditative tool kit. A version of this meditation originally paired with “Wonderland” in episode 23. Find the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and please feel free to invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll learn to create a personal sanctuary as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

Take a break…Kit Kats are purely optional. The meditation in this Mindful Mandart Moment is a guided journey to an incidental green space dappled in pockets of sunshine. There's a little elemental magic involved in getting quiet and becoming aware of all things small in our natural environment. Today's self care break is all about allowing ourselves an opportunity to pause and spend a few minutes in our own company, because, we are definitely worth it! Join me as we engage in a moment of respite and allow haste to dissolve succinctly into ease. I hope you find something within the time we spend together that resonates for you. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and feel free to Invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll take a short pause as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

Celebrate the power of intention with this self care pause Red is one of my favourite colours. I appreciate the resonance of quinocridone red light (try pronouncing that one with an accent on a podcast). Though painting quiets my soul, I am strangely attracted to the screaming nature of particular shades of Pyrole. These lovely reds seek attention like noise in an airport so by association the grounding quality of red inspired the sanctuary building meditation in this episode. This self care pause is definitely one for the books. It celebrates the power of intention and encourages us to act instead of react, to curate a sanctuary within, o especially in stressful circumstances. You will definitely want to add this self care strategy to your hand luggage, as I do, when you travel. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and feel free to invite a friend to join us. Together we'll learn to create a personal sanctuary as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

ENJOY THE HEALING POWER OF A RESTFUL MOMENT HERE. I am excited to be sharing what I am calling a ten pack of Mindful Mandart Moments with you. The meditations that usually pair with the back stories of studio practice have come to the foreground to help us to be more and do a little less in the hectic lives we lead This meditation this episode explores an experience of landscape. It is an invitation to enjoy a restorative moment inspired by memories of connection to an iconic “place” and to be comforted by a connection to a much younger version of ourselves. This reflective pause is destined to inflate your soaring desires and encourage a short period of restful self awareness. Join me on the blog for the expanded notes and visuals and if something has resonated for you in this episode please feel free to Invite a friend to join us. Together we'll learn to create a personal sanctuary as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

Let's get actively still. The meditation in this episode of Mindful Mandart Moments pairs action with stillness and takes us on a contemplative visual journey. The labyrinth, in existence for thousands of years, is usually a compact journey that winds its way to a contemplative centre and unfurls as it returns us to where its curved path began. So far in our meditative practice together, we have paused to contemplate and reflect as we have taken time for ourselves at the end of each episode on the podcast. I thought a labyrinth walk might make a thoughtful physical addition to our mindfulness practice. It provides for a nice combination of stillness and action for all of us who struggle at times with slowing down to “BE” more, and do a little less. I hope you find something within the time we spend together that resonates for you. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and feel free to invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll take a short pause as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

This renewal comes with a chakra cleanse. In this Mandart Moment of Mindfulness, colour was the inspiration that initiated a visual journey that grows and glows through the chakra column. The chakras form a column of invisible energetic support common to all of us. There are 7 chakras that form this internal column beginning with the root chakra at the base of the spine and rising to the crown chakra just above the top of our heads. Becoming aware of the properties of our chakras can help us to consciously align ourselves with our greatest potential. We may not like cleaning up, but this visualized cleansing ritual will be a great addition to your self care tool box. There are many ways to visualize a chakra cleanse. I return to them often in a variety of ways. In this version of an energetic cleanse, we expand, we rise, we imagine, and together imbue our chakras with crystal magic from head to toe. I hope you find something within the time we spend together that resonates for you. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and feel free to invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll take a short pause as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

Less can be more when we discover abundance. Mindfulness has become a mainstream term in recent years. The practice of paying attention is what I like to call it. By being mindful we can help ourselves to pause and be present. When we are present in our own lives we can make ourselves available to all of the magic available to us through the action of slowing down. In this episode of the Podcast we are bringing the meditation to the foreground to help us to find our own rhythm where nothing is forced, nothing is extended and nothing withheld. In this interior journey we get out of our own way in the pursuit of peace and search for a place where less can definitely be more. Let's get ready to discover the abundance that is infinitely available to us all. Find the visuals and notes to accompany this episode at www.mandart.ca on the blog or podcast pages.  

WE GROW IN COMMUNITY and this self care episode is all about growth. Mindful Mandart Moments continue with this episode that brings the meditative practice to the forefront. This instalment was inspired by a trio called “BLOOM” in episode 14. It is a guided meditation that inspires us to visualize the conditions we personally need to bloom, flourish and thrive. Creativity has long been my road to presence and so with this meditation I invite you to experience my thought process in action. In it we continue the journey to connect to our world, to experience where we are, wherever we are and vicariously we connect to ourselves. Together we are reminded we grow where we are planted within the context of the choices we are free to make. I hope you find something within the time we spend together that resonates for you. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals and feel free to Invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project. Together we'll take a short pause as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.  

This episode is all about acceptance.   I am excited to be sharing what I am calling MINDFUL MANDART MOMENTS in episodes 34-44 in the podcast. The meditations that usually pair with the back stories of studio practice are coming to the foreground.     With open palms, this one is all about ACCEPTANCE.    In this first episode of mindful moments, we are encouraged to be mindfully present. The meditation offers an opportunity to rest and inspires us with a visual description of the unseen support that surrounds us all all of the time.    It was actually the very first meditation I channeled as I began to gather my thoughts for this podcast.   I hope you find something within it that resonates for you. Join me on the blog at www.mandart.ca for the expanded notes and visuals. Please feel free to invite a friend to join in for this weekly self care project if something within it resonates for you.    Together we'll take a short pause seeking stillness, as we seek wisdom at the crossroads where action and presence meet.     

Still life sounds a bit like an oxy moron doesn't it? For someone who struggles to colour in the lines, a little contained floral action can't help but be big on personality. What was once a ‘false start' is now a studio companion with a cheeky personality despite her bland title, “Active Still : Purple”   Check out the expanded show notes and images of Active Still: Purple in my blog!   The Meditation The meditation in this episode also pairs action with stillness and takes us on a contemplative journey. Join me for 14 minutes of self care as we navigate a snow covered labyrinth and learn the paths we take might not always be clear but a thoughtful walk can bring with it, a little clarity. Tune in to your own intentions at 7:00 in the recording and allow this virtual journey to lead the way forward where the universe will help us to know and understand what we need to know and understand.  

Tom Thomson and the Canadian Group of Seven were not the only adventurers and artists to fall in love with delicious destinations like Honey Harbour and Blueberry Island. Listen in to todays episode to Channel the backstory of a pair of cousins inspired by a twilight boat ride through a quintessentially Canadian landscape. Around every corner in Georgian Bay granite outcroppings, wind sculpted trees and quirky bunkies and boathouses connect generations of families to each other and to their summer destinations.   Check out the expanded show notes and images of Audience and Channel in my blog!   The Meditation The meditation is 12 minutes long in this episode and begins at 11:44. It's all about gratitude: for invitations to summer cottages and for our ability to be and do. Our travels might take us far and wide but we can always come home to ourselves with a little self care. In this instalment of our evolving process we turn our focus inward, we choose acceptance over judgement and give thanks to all the parts of ourselves. Find it at x in the recording only.  

A backward glance inspired the name of this big bold square that came together like the magical arrangements in the colourful child's toy. There is nothing childish about this confident shapely girl who fledged the nest early.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Kaleidoscope in my blog!   The Meditation The meditation came about organically at my dining room table where it was unusually, recorded live. Quiet moments engaged in a simple repetitive action took me out of my own way as a composition with words evolved. Join in at 8:45 in the recording to add your own colour to this arrangement. This meditation is 14 minutes long.  

This episode begins and ends with friendship and gratitude. Art and life evolve when we release our expectations and trust in the roundabout ways the world works. What is meant to be is always meant to be. Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Resonance in my blog!   The Meditation The meditation is 10 minutes long in this episode. Find it at 9:18 in the recording. It is an invitation to join me on a late summer beach walk, to go with the flow of what the universe offers.  

Get your flow flowing this episode as we take in a transitioning season and journey down a new visual path where colour theory is just a theory. Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Flow/The 100 Acre Woods in my blog!   The Meditation The meditation that follows at 8:37 in the recording adopts the mantra: “It is, I am, we are…” to remind us our only constant is change. It is a short 14 minutes of self care. I hope you'll tune in.  

This episode shares stories of community and creativity and how the two came together to create The Healing Blanket Project, one thoughtful and colourful stitch at a time. The story begins with the Healing Blanket post-pandemic as she fledges her nest and moves into Ronald MacDonald's new house in Winnipeg. Listen in on the podcast or read up on the blog to discover what happens when a delicate, white tulip grows 2 meters tall, and what supportive magic happens at the crossroads where action and presence meet.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of The Healing Blanket in my blog!   Meditation The meditation continues the healing theme. Listen in for 11 minutes of self care where we invite softness and ease in on the breath. Stay tuned as we are  reminded, to pause, to accept the gift of stillness and to be open to receiving all  the support the universe offers, wherever we are. Find the meditation at 15:30 in the recording.  

We chat about the subjective process of commissioning art and the fact that a refreshed painting is one that was once finished, then finished again. With a hint of whimsy and freedom, we are reminded how we interpret art depends on our perspective and what we are ready to see.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of A Celebration of the Poppy in my blog!   Poppy + Root Chakra Meditation The meditation Is a guided self care pause and definitely one for the books. It celebrates the power of intention and encourages us to act instead of react. Believe me your airport experience will not be the same with this oasis creating technique in your meditative suitcase. The meditation is 12 minutes long and begins at 10:20 in the recording.  

We've all heard the saying “it takes a village” and I am so grateful for mine. In today's backstory, we journey to a community of neighbours and friends along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. The area's iconic swimming piers come into focus with the painting “Pier Support”. Art becomes a colourful off-season reminder of the value of our connections, to place, to ourselves, and to each other. Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Pier Support in my blog!   Pier Support Meditation The guided meditation in this episode reflects on transitions and the potential for new beginnings that come with seasonal change. Tune into your body during these 10 minutes of reflective pause that begin at 7:44 In the recording.  

This episode takes me back to a weedy incidental green space where I am reminded of the cyclical ways our journeys connect to our past and to each other. “Riverside”, the focus of todays conversation, is part of the “Sweet Suite”, a series of small paintings that freely bloomed on panel this summer in the studio. It is the result of my recent travels along the road less travelled, down memory lane that came full circle into the present. The process allowed for a lovely moment not looking back but pausing reflectively.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of River View in my blog!   River View Meditation The meditation practice is inspired by the idea of a reflective pause. In this episode the meditation begins at 5:28 In the recording. It is 12 minutes of tuning into the body, listening, relaxing and allowing yourself to accept the pleasure of the pause. Join me for a few precious moments of refreshment and fill your cup to overflowing before you take up the reigns in the rest of your day.  

This story starts out with an intention that turns a blank canvas into a beginning. The episode touches on a compelling pair from the archive that puts personal perspectives into context and helps us to realize there are no wrong answers when it comes to art. “Blue Gums” are the real star of the show. They evolved through a (challenging for me) less is more philosophy into a refreshingly simple composition and visual legacy.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Wonderland in my blog!   Blue Gums Meditation The meditation begins at 8:36 in the recording. Pause with me this episode for 15 minutes of energetic refreshment. Be reminded, we all grow when it rains.  

In this episode, we chat about the idea of ritual in the work of art where the intention of an action is key and nobody is sitting around eating cake waiting to be inspired. “Wonderland” is part of a recent batch of paintings trending large on 4 foot panels. This diptych takes us on a journey through process, like Alice's, but without the use of hallucinogens. Music as muse helps to silence life's noise and transport us to a crossroads where we are not lost but found, fully present. Join in to discover an evolving soundtrack to studio practice  and learn which David, Joni, Jack, John and Richard currently serenade this soul practitioner at the studio. Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Wonderland in my blog! Wonderland Meditation The meditation is 10 minutes long today. It begins at 8:41 in the recording. Process and practice are at the core of this invitation that allows a glimpse into a very personal and formerly private meditative writing ritual. Connecting to the wisdom we all have access to is the end goal here. Listen in to rest your heart in the details of your own story.  

An Everywhere of Silver is the story of a winter landscape in a summer cottage. It is the story of a journey and adjusted expectations. This little painting recalls an attempt to take to the road less travelled if only for a little while. It holds the story of a rained out adventure that ended with a gentle reminder and inspiration for a whole new body of work. Check out the expanded show notes and an image of An Everywhere of Silver in my blog! An Everywhere of Silver Meditation The meditation is 11 minutes long in this episode. It begins at 6:22 in the recording. Taking a break in our own company can be priceless but how often do we afford ourselves that opportunity? The meditation is a guided journey to an incidental green space in dappled pockets of sunshine. There's a little elemental magic in getting quiet and being aware of all that is small. Join me here to engage in a moment of respite, to allow haste to evolve succinctly into ease.  

We celebrate connection in todays backstory. Connection to our past: relationships, spaces and places and end up in the present musing about imagination and a sisterhood evolving in vibrant colour on the paint wall. With the example of “Crossroads”, a marker at the beginning of a new chapter in my studio archive, we are reminded that creativity is a powerful journey. Marks made in expression are made in many mediums and sometimes might not be a physical action at all. Life evolves. Cast across distant memories our backward glances might offer us a little perspective or contextual insight but the present moment is where we live and what will always lead us forward. The road less travelled beckons as we grow and evolve into the highest version of ourselves.   Check out the expanded show notes and an image of Crossroads in my blog! Crossroads Meditation The meditation is 10 minutes long in this episode. It begins at 10:12 in the recording and takes us on a journey into my impression of a landscape, to a candy coloured windbreak. Together we'll allow intention to lead our tranquil breaths to pause between actions on an imaginary journey of self discovery. What whimsy will build around you at the crossroads where action and presence meet?  

Episode 20 marks a milestone for me. The end of season 1 is less about endings and more about absolute beginnings. The painting  “INTROSPECTION” is 30” x 40” of 17-year-old me at the tail end of the Photo Realist era, blending yet not trying to conform. This first major painting was a deep and thoughtful, painstakingly rendered, reflection on the developing self and the value of mentorship. The episode follows up with reflections on the supportive structures and people we seek and discover who help to guide us through the business of life and art. This week is about gratitude for my “village”, for you for spending your valuable time listening in or catching up through the blog. It's about courage and commitment, growth in the present and being seen in a very first exhibit in the past. Season 1 was the response I created to answer my own questions, “If not now, when?” And “Why not me?”, which we all can ask ourselves. Together like any good diptych or triptych, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Check out the expanded show notes through my blog and do enjoy the meditation which begins at 11:38 in the recording.  

The jostling characters of this small but feisty composition, 13” x 14”, on panel, affectionately titled “Shrinking Violets" compete for attention and visual elbow room. In this fictitious perennial garden, more kitchen garden than formal border, vibrant colour grants an introduction to new beginnings that merge a path of discovery and experimentation with textiles and technology. We learn the value of a good reading list and friendships; in life, art and business. We also discover that red is delicious no matter which way you serve it. Join me to discover some creative magic along the road less travelled.   The visuals of this painting can be found on my blog.  

Be my guest in this episode at the edge of Lake Winnipeg where a breeze at the waters edge on the prairie keeps everything in motion. Inspiration is refreshing and today invites us on a journey through composition and colour. An incidental green space where vegetation is allowed to wander and stray is always a favourite of mine. This one forms a billowing grassy vista that frames the view and inspires the painter within. Incidentally we take a backward glance to the era of muscle cars and poodle skirts in search of summertime amusements. You may not be able to ride the moonlight express anywhere soon but The painting BREEZE AT BAY, 24” x 48”, 2014 might help you to reflect on the idea of motion described by the action of a loaded brush in acrylic, the challenge of rules and new roles for underpainting. Travel in real time inspires curiosity and takes us on a journey through a blossoming landscape at the beginning of a new season. The visuals of these paintings and of some Norfolk pines can be found on my blog.  

The backstory this episode leads to Tuross on the South Coast of Australia. Beaches here are so numerous they are numbered not named. Shell picking at T1 is a whale of a time and landscape in painting is a journey through memory. A little golf action gets going on the aptly named ”Heart attack Hill”, with the killer view. Legend has it the brown snake of the second hole may not be mere legend, while the bounce from the green definitely is. Coming home at the end of this tale we come home to the action of a loaded brush and a new canvas on the paint wall with no plan or outcome on the horizon. The visuals of these paintings and of some Norfolk pines can be found on my blog.  

Art, like music, plays a role as the backdrop or soundtrack of our lives. Today's introduction to “Nostrum” and “Curative”, a pair of 30” x 40” acrylic paintings on panel, were once given the  cold shoulder. Now they offer a little bit of flexible colour magic and a balm for the soul in the depths of a Winnipeg winter.   Do you have a studio? Want a studio? This backstory may be a curative for any romanticized notion you might have dreamed. Unless you are attracted to heavy traffic, emergency sirens and a breeze on your side of the brickwork, that is.   I share a reflective tip to brighten your workspace and add a pro to the cons of my former expansive, frosty space.   We also learn about schlepping, What it means to sail across a parking lot in a brisk breeze and  how to safely wrestle a 4' square painting into the back of an SUV… shlepping. I missed painting this week when the work of art took over.    The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.  

Art imitates life and sometimes it documents it too. Pet lovers unite as today we meet the cheeky cat brothers Rylands and Fletcher in a fairy tale of sorts. The “once upon a time” leads us through torrential rain, to a job interview in puddling linen, onto a creative classroom filled with pre teens and carving tools and a drawer full of band aids. Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. We also get a glimpse of the colour reduction block printing process. In the backstory, we are reminded to always bring that brolly and to find creative ways to keep memories close at hand.   The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.  

Lessons of inspiration and creativity inspire change on todays episode. A change of season might lead to a change of scale, but scaling down in size does not mean we are scaling down the visual impact.   There is a new trio evolving on the paint wall in real time. We learn a triptych is not simply an image spread out across three adjoining surfaces but an opportunity to explore 3 independent compositions   The gifting of art part is not something I recommend but a triptych named Bloom carries a similar sentiment for a fledgling daughter's housewarming gift.   Bloom was also a lesson in keeping things fresh, of letting go of expectations and walking away from a composition before the bloom is off the rose. Teamwork is key and this group have demonstrated they can hang out, mix things up, and still look fresh and refreshing in a tired utilitarian space. Art is subjective. At my house, in even our most under appreciated spaces, art blooms - if only for a short season.   The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.  

A mixed media pair called “SIDEYARD / BACKYARD” are the stars of the perennial show in the lucky 13th episode of the podcast this week. (It's also a week with Friday the 13th!) Together they introduce a hardy cast of perennial characters whose cheeky personalities take shape in chalk pastel and acrylic on paper. We hear the story of friendship as it played out in the garden, learn a simple way to impersonate a deckled edge and get a glimpse of art history at work in the painters studio. The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.

It might not be 5 o'clock, but this episode inspires us to take a break for refreshments when work on the painting wall stalls. A casual observation inspires a winter series more beach babe than snow bunny, and a creative game that turned this painter's theory on its head. Listen to the story of colour in the studio as an antidote to winter's white and learn how a day at the office, at work, at play, trumps an actual job any day of the week.   And finally, If you come for dinner, you will be relieved to know that while appetizers and main meals might be artfully presented, there will be no art in the doggy bag.   The visuals for this painting can be found on my blog and on Instagram.  

Breathing Space inspires us to consider our home and how art can offer us comfort within the discomfort of transition. We are reminded big art expands not only our spaces but also our perceptions. The pieces we are meant to find sometimes find us down the way along a circuitous path. The triptych, “Inhale: Exhale and Relax”, introduces perennial personalities and reminds us to invest in ourselves along the creative road less travelled.   The visuals for this painting can be found on my blog.  

“Singing the Blues" begins with a return to work after a break and a reminder that life is seriously too short to take ourselves too seriously. We chat a little about taking on commissioned art and familiarize ourselves with colour stories. In this, we realize that the difference between old work and new work, is GROWTH. We get a little CHI to flow in preparations for a new project, take a reflective look at works in progress and exchange criticism for critique. “Singing The Blues” is a fresh little composition from the “Trespassing Series”. It reminds us we and the work we create are worth the investment.  The visuals for this painting can be found on my blog.  

“Pink at Ponemah” offers an invitation to park yourself on a sandy beach on a shimmery summer day no matter the season where you are. Today we step into Canadian cottage country to find connection in community. We take a pause, find ourselves pretty in pink and learn a simple way to leave our own marks on the world. Visit my blog to view images of the painting and read the full transcript.

Supportive communities, circles of women and flexibility are topics of conversation on the podcast this week…and where would we be without them? In this episode, I invite you to find something of your story within mine as together we discover tranquility and presence in morning routines. We learn how less can be more as we reflect on simplicity and our connections to: place, to those around us and most importantly, to ourselves. With a limited palette, the view from “Town's End” illustrates how art is definitely open to interpretation. Find the blog post with images on my website.  

This week on the podcast we reflect on family road trips and recall the gift of time to be ourselves. We learn creativity is mined from routine actions and chat about some of the painterly traits I commonly use. Sunshine yellow continues in the conversation about composition and inspiration in my work in art.  

The featured pair of this weeks podcast, “Afternoon Showers” from 2008, are a celebration of a long ago date week and paint week. The pair bring sunshine indoors on even the coldest of northern winter days on the prairies.   They were inspired by an afternoon road trip during a prairie storm. They are a reminder that less can be more, firsts are worth remembering and that we are all happiest when we acknowledge our passions and make time to honour them.  

This week on the podcast we take a trip down memory lane where I introduce you to a mixed media painting on paper. From the earliest days of my studio practice.    “Ode to Tom” is a recollection of childhood memory, first visits to lake country in what was at the time, an unfamiliar yet quintessentially Canadian landscape.    We chat about my tendency to paint like a printmaker, about collage and the gathering of visual ideas and references for inspiration.  We see north meet south in the painting where universal flatlands become coastal and inland oceans while nocturnal auroras and painterly signatures merge in colour through process.   

“PAINTED LADIES” are featuring on the podcast this week. They originate from Studio 311, in Winnipeg's Historic Exchange District. This building is a grand old dame who was part of the exponential growth of Winnipeg at the turn of the 20th century. Winnipeg has her own identity despite being known then as both the gateway to the West and the Chicago of the North.    This neighbourhood with its historically preserved warehouses, stars in their own right, have shared billing with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” was filmed just outside our windows and transformed 2007 into the wild west virtually overnight.    I introduce you to my habit of rescuing Australiana and the transformation of a brittle bundle of sticks into a cheeky and energetic still life that marked the end of a chapter.   We learn that not everything is for sale and that art can just as easily be a gift to ourselves.  To see a visual of

Art expands spaces and perceptions and becomes the background to family life.  In this episode we are encouraged to be mindfully present using the example of a large triptych, Enlightened at Beaver Bay”, 48” x 48”, 24” x 48”, 48” x 48” from (2008)  This painting was inspired by an invitation to Lake of the Woods, a quintessentially Canadian landscape rich in the foliage of poplars, dense with evergreens sculpted by the wind and populated with ancient granite outcroppings smoothed by a million seasons. The lake, at Beaver Bay hosts friendship and family in refreshing, deep, dark lake water at the centre of a continent.    We chat a little about the painting process, where every action is a decision impacted by the choices that are made in colour, where relationships are constantly revised and reorganized as a composition evolves.    To see an image of

My studio may be much smaller than the 800 square feet I once had, but it is light, cozy and warm. My orchids and I appreciate the abundance of light and the river view that this space offers. The winter white scene includes skaters and other active members of the community embracing the cold weather.  

Thank you for joining me on this podcasting journey! I am looking forward to sharing the backstories and process that have resulted in a master collection of artwork that span my career. I would like to start the storytelling with the pieces that have remained in my home and have taught me a lesson worth remembering.   Creativity has always been my road to presence. My work is generally colourful and semi-abstracted with a focus on the emotional connection. Though it may be inspired by a particular place, I have no desire to replicate the real place.   

Welcome to Wisdom at the Crossroads podcast! I am Amanda Onchulenko and I will be your host. This podcast is primarily an invitation to join me on a creative journey. In it, I will be sharing insights into the backstories of inspiration that have become a catalyst for my work in art. I hope you will find the stories interesting but you don't need to be a creative to listen in! Together, we will aim to seek those ever elusive moments of presence in an increasingly busy world. Creativity has always been my avenue to presence.  My studio practice might be best known for the accent it places on colour and it's relationships. My visual voice has always been clear but here I am stepping out of my comfort zone to share my spoken voice for the very first time. As an ex pat Australian who has spent 30+ years living in Canada, I am not sure if I am Oznadian or Canralian, but I do know I am passionate about art, about the process of creativity and about making connections through shared experience. Each episode will begin with a catch up on the present before we step into my archive to learn a little bit about beginnings, about the search for inspiration and how inspiration evolves into a course of action We will end with a meditation or reflection as we strive to be inspired and, together, find a short break or a quiet pause in the busyness of the day's activities. The hope is that we can connect to each other, to the world around us, and most importantly, to ourselves in the present moment. In the meantime may you be more, be present, and do a little less. See you on Tuesdays!   LINKS Find me on Instagram @mandartcanada Visit my website www.mandart.ca