Past Few Days

So much has gone on in the past few days.  Don't know where to start so here's a list in words and photos of my recent thoughts, emotions and what I've been doing.

family | creative | paint | love | daddy | cancer | hospital | music | sleep (lack of) | digital art | motivated | glitter | website | numb | excited | daughter | wedding plans | grandchildren | surreal | passion | contentment | friends | coffee | time | holiday

Digital Piracy

A friend of mine has been repeatedly fighting a major digital piracy problem.  People buying her digital products and then giving them away to online and email groups.  She's also suffered a number copyright violations and the situation is getting out of hand and serious.  I could say more but instead I'll post a link to her website where you can read more about the problem and what her and her husband are now doing to tackle it. It's interesting reading especially if you're a digital artist.  Well worth a read.

http://www.jaguarwoman.com/

Splash of Colour

I love the studio and boutique shop, Pickleberry Papercrafts, where I'm taking my art journal workshop.  It's an inspiring and creative space.  Surrounded by beautiful art supplies, paper crafting goodies in an array of colours and textures.  So yummy!  I come away wanting more.  Motivated and inspired.

These colours are out of my comfort zone.  I guess sometimes you just need colour in your life.  Real colour.  Positive emotional colour.  Uplifting.  So bright and bold.  And I'm not really sure why I chose them to work with for my art journal.  I was drawn to them and loved working with them.  I usually choose muted tones.  These bright and bold colours are happy.  I need happy at the moment.  It somehow balances out the sadness that's in my life.  I don't know how my art journal will unfold.  I don't have a theme in mind.  I want it to be organic.  Already though, I'm excited about the choices I've made and how its evolving.

Happy.  Yes.  Happy.  Bright and beautiful.

Website

After ummming and ahhhhing for eternity about whether or not to put my website back online, I finally bit the bullet, updated it and uploaded last night.  Just my little home on the web.  Mainly my digital art.  I'll add a gallery for my mixed paintings soon.  Actually feels good to have it back online.  I've had a website online since late 90s so just felt right to update it and be back online.  I'm still tweaking so be sure to let me know if you find anything wrong or not working properly.

Diane Rooney's Digital Fine Art and Design

Clean, Tidy, Cosy

I love the promise of a new day. And a new week. New things. Maybe good. Maybe bad. Either way, I want to embrace this day, this week. So I started my day by doing all the housework. I always feel so good once I've finished and everything is spic and span! I can now happily launch myself into my week. Working on a lot of new creative endeavours! More about them soon. Hope everyone has a good week.

An Apple a Day

According to new research, eating an apple a day can help significantly reduce the risk of bowel cancer.  I have no reason to doubt this.  However, one thing I'm learning very fast is that every person is different.  Cancer is aggressive and shows no mercy whether you've eaten an apple a day or not.  My burden of grief that I spoke about previously is related to my Dad.  He has advanced stage cancer of the colon a.k.a bowel cancer.  He was diagnosed 15 months ago and although he's had chemotherapy and surgery, the cancer has returned to such a degree, they're now only offering him palliative treatment.

Dad and Mum on Dad's 68th birthday (May 2009)

We only found this out a few days ago.  It's still sinking in.  I don't actually know what to do with myself.  This is from my perspective.  I can't even begin to talk about how this is affecting my Dad and my Mum.  That's a whole other blog post.  Or my siblings and my children.

For me, I need something to get into.  I have great goals and hopes for 2010.  More crafty projects.  More art to create.  Revamping my website (its nearly finished).  New friends to make.  I'm overwhelmed by the blessings in my life.  And yet, I do have this huge burden of grief.  I can't stop for a moment and think about how it could engulf me.  I need to keep moving.  I know one day it'll catch up but for now.  I have to keep busy and carry on as normal.  My Dad said to us that we should all live our lives "one day at a time".  Enjoy that day.  Tomorrow's not promised to any of us.  I'm honouring my Dad now, through the coming days, weeks, months, by living for today as best I can.

You may recall a recent blog post here about an Art Journal course I signed up for at Pickleberry Papercraft.  It started Thursday and I actually didn't know whether to go having just found out about my Dad.  I knew though that it would do me the world of good to go and I might even make some new friends, which I need to do, and enjoy myself.  Just a few hours not to think about what's ahead for my Dad and coping with my grief.  I was somewhat nervous at the thought of meeting new people and venturing out.

My life's been a roller coaster ride for a good 10 yrs now with one thing and another.  In and out of various seasons.  Some quite painful.  Some resulting in me ending up more or less as a hermit, in my own little world.  It was time for me to step out and meet new people.  I shouldn't have worried as everyone made me feel welcome including Kate, who owns Pickleberry Papercraft, and Jane, who is teaching the workshop.

I loved the workshop.  It was so satisfying to work in such a creative environment.  I was focused and got right into it.  It was what I needed and it inspired me forwards for all my other creative endeavours.  Maybe even new friendships in the making and new opportunities for me.  More about that another time.

Oh and I'm eating an apple a day.

On my Mind