"Love and Gratitude!"

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am oh so thankful for family and friends near and far!  May you all enjoy this special day of giving thanks!  Hope your heart is filled with love and gratitude each and every day! This is painting 4/50 in my "50 to 50" Challenge and is titled "Her heart was filled with love and gratitude!" xoxo ~jackie

"Her heart was filled with love and gratitude"

"Listen to Your Whispers"

"Listen to Your Whispers"

This is painting 3/50 in my "50 to 50" Challenge!  Right now the title is "Listen to Your Whispers."  It is a title I've used in several of my previous paintings as well as a message I try to live by and teach in my classes.  This is an intuitive painting inspired by the colors gray and teal.  This painting reminds me of a full moon illuminating the winter woods.  For me there is a peaceful feeling of calm and stillness with a subtle hint of magic in the air.  Perhaps the message is to stand still in silence and all will be illuminated.  Maybe the message is to balance social activity with silence and solitude. While I am looking forward to the flurry of activity that the holidays bring, I am also looking forward to the whispers of winter and the opportunity to retreat into the stillness and beauty of the snow covered, moonlit nights of winter.

To my surprise, this was the view when I stepped outside tonight!  Hope you enjoy the magic of the moon!

Rise!

Here is painting 2/50 in my "50 to 50" Challenge!  I have always admired the beauty, strength and symbolism of the lotus flower.  This new painting was inspired by the lotus and her ability to rise and shine despite her obstacles.  She is able to lift herself up from beneath the murky waters and grow towards the light, rising strong and opening herself up to the world above.

"Rise"

Here is a little poem I wrote several years ago for our first retreat participants that went along with the lotus lesson and art project I prepared and taught at the "living your yoga on and off the mat" retreat. Hope you enjoy!

Breathe deeply...

Begin the transformation...

Rise above the dark waters...

Blossom towards the light...

Reach your full potential...

Awaken your spirit...

~by jackie tury

Dare to DREAM!

"Life holds special magic for those who dare to dream!" (author unknown). We definitely had some "dreamwork in progress" last night as we gathered to create beautiful mixed media dream catchers encouraging us to chase our dreams and inspiring us to follow our hearts!  A huge thank you to all the wonderful women who joined me last night to share their dreams, their snacks, and their creativity! May all your dreams come true!

"50 to 50" Personal Challenge: 1/50 "She followed her heart through the seas of change!"

I recently celebrated my 49th birthday and thought a fitting and meaningful way to mark my journey towards 50 would be to create 50 new paintings. Turning 40 brought about great change in my life as I experienced what I call my “Artful Awakening” or “Mid-life Metamorphosis.”  My forties have been a period of opening and fully awakening to my creative dreams and desires.  It has been a journey of great personal, spiritual, and creative growth.  As I approach the milestone birthday of 50, I feel the currents of change stirring within me and around me.  I am not sure what my future holds, I only know the ground beneath me is shifting and the waves of change are coming.  It is with these thoughts, emotions, and intentions that I created the first painting of my “50 to 50” personal challenge.  

Number 1/50 is called “She followed her heart through the seas of change.”  I hope you like it and I wish you well on your own personal journey.  Please feel free to follow my journey at www.jackietury.blogspot.com and to share your own.  If you would like to purchase a print of “She followed her heart through the seas of change,” please email me at jackietury@gmail.com or PM me on Facebook.  Looking forward to journeying together!

Ideally, I will create and post one new painting a week for 50 weeks. Realistically, I know that some weeks I may not have the opportunity to paint and other weeks I may have time and inspiration to create more than one painting.  I am giving myself permission to “go with the flow” on this one and allowing myself to drift between the shores of the real and the ideal—finding a sense of balance along the way.