After & Before: Paintings & Photos

I get asked a lot of if I use photos to paint my pictures. The answer is sort of. 

I take a lot of photos and I use them for inspiration. 

I think two of my most recent paintings illustrated this well.

After:

Before:

 After:

Before:

104 Degrees in the Garden

a journey of gratitude

you.
gratitude.

husband. family.

nurturing food. yoga.

sunshine. gardens. dogs.

love. dresses. good health.

prosperity. books. schooling. hope.

plans. goals. dreams. achieving. hard work.

paint. paintbrushes. canvases. photos. easels.

inspiration. art. friends. coffee. wine. cookies. water.

history. teachers. music. silence. laughter. 

woven bags. sandals. the Dalai Lama.

shade. air conditioning. pillows.

math. curiosity. pencils.

erasers. cuddles.

color. turtles. 

elephants.

trees.

me.

Kenya: Birds in the City

Still haven't found much time for blogging, but I can drop a picture or two at a time.

We saw these birds leaving Nairobi one day, and I could barely get a picture from the bus.  

It is a memory that makes me smile.

Nairobi Redux

We really didn't spend that much time in Nairobi. 

Our first day there consisted of a visit to this overview of the city.

We also visited the site of the Kenyatta International Conference Center.

This is a statue of Jomo Kenyatta, the first President of the Republic of Kenya.

Kenya: another very short story.

This is downtown Nairobi; the largest city in Kenya.  Nairobi is is home to over 3 million people.

While in Nairobi, I experienced many of the thrills and sights associated with urban areas all over the world.

Kenya: a very short story

In Kenya, apart from the village, we slept with mosquito nets. I liked them. 

I felt like a princess and usually slept like one too.

I also had to take malaria pills everyday: dislike.

I never got malaria: like.

The Flowers of Kenya

I am beginning the work of processing my Kenya experience. 

There is so much to think about, so much to remember, so much to make sense of. 

How will I bring what I experienced into my life? 

How did it change me? 

What must I still work hard to change about myself? 

I have randomly posted 390 pictures on facebook. I took over a thousand. 

Here, I hope to be more intentional in my posts, photos, and reflections. 

Here, I hope to record more of a story. 

The one thing I know was not changed in Kenya is my love for flowers. Kenya was home to many, many beautiful flowers. Some were brought from abroad and others were native. Some were the same flowers I have growing here, and others were completely new to me. 

All of them were beautiful and I hope to paint them soon.