lisianthus

This original 6"x6" oil painting on gesso panel and is amiable, unframed, for $100 here.

Perpetual Optimism original oil painting by Kim Smith

This gorgeous hellebores oil painting on gesso panel is 6"x6" and available, unframed, for $100 here.

Iris, original oil painting by Kim Smith

This original 6"x6" oil painting is painted on gesso panel and sold, unframed, for $100 here.

simplicity

I am always striving for simplicity, in my art and in my life. Why is it so darned hard to achieve?
This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is available, unframed, for $100 here.

cattywampus

Cattywampus. A great word. One of those words that sound like what it means. What are those words called? Cattywampus means not lined up or arranged correctly. Just like anything truly beautiful in life. All of the good things in life are cattywampus...

This original 6"x6" oil painting on ⅛" gesso panel is sold, unframed, for $100 in my Etsy shop here.

best intentions

Monday morning is a great time to wake up with the best intentions. Best of intentions for a great week ahead, for living each moment with gratitude, for staying positive, for a week filled with creativity and love. Losing our way, from time to time, through the week is okay, as long as we bring ourselves back to our intentions. I wish you a week filled with best intentions! This original oil painting by Kim Smith. Painted on gesso board and sold unframed for $85. Click to Bid

swanky

Something that I've learned in my painting practice, well, let's say I am learning over and over, as I often forget, is that the magic happens in the pauses. Creating a painting is busy with the activity of making brush strokes, judging at values, colors, shapes, edges, and on and on. But the important part is really in the pausing, stepping back and really, really looking. And thinking. And actually, the same thing applies to life, the magic happens in the pauses. I hope you find the time to pause a bit this weekend and enjoy life... Click to Bid

x's & o's

I've been feeling a lot lately. Not something I'm in the least bit comfortable with. Happy, sad, mad, up, down...I'm always busy so I don't really have even a minute to feel. No matter what though, when I paint I do feel, I feel calm and peaceful. It's a wonderful thing. I think I'm needing more x's and o's in my world to feel better...so I'm going to fill my world to the brim with x's and o's. Look out! This original 8"x8" oil painting is available, unframed, here... Click to Bid

hold your breath

I know, I know, it's supposed to be don't hold your breath, which is used to indicate that something is likely to take a long time. If anyone knows me, I'm not very good at waiting for anything that takes a long time. I think that's why doing small, daily paintings appeals so much to me. They are quick and don't require too much patience. Ideally, I would love to have the luxury of doing a small, daily painting each morning and then work on a larger painting. Some day. But until then I'll keep doing what I'm doing, and try to learn more patience along the way. This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85 here.

serendipity

luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

We could all use a little bit of serendipity, or actually a lot :) Here's wishing you a week filled with wonderful moments!

This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85. Click to Bid

hit pause

Just hit pause. I wish that at least once every day. Hit pause to slow time down, at least for a moment. Hit pause, just to have a minute to rest. Not how it works, I know. At least while I paint I lose time, or at least, for a moment, I forget what time it is...until the alarm goes and it's time to be off and running! This original 6"x6" oil painting is averrable, unframed, for $85.Click to Bid

catharsis

An excerpt from a book I'm reading...

Museums and galleries remain among the few oasis that can deliver what has become increasingly rare in our world: the opportunity to disconnect from our hyperconnected lives and experience the feeling of wonder. Museums are where we go to commune with the permanent, the ineffable, and the unquantifiable. And it's an especially rare, and thus precious, experience in our technology-besieged lives. Maxwell Anderson, the CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, describes a museum's mission as providing visitors with "resonance and wonder…an intangible sense of elation—a feeling the a weight was lifted." Or as my fellow countryman Aristotle put it: "catharsis."

–from "Thrive" by Arianna Huffington

I need to go to more museums and galleries!
 This original 8"x8" oil painting is available, unframed, for $125. Click to Bid

gratitude

As busy as life gets, every day I take the time to think about all of the things I am grateful for. Painting is always one of the things on my list. This original 8"x8" oil painting is available, unframed, for $140. Click to Bid

intuition

I have a very keen intuition. But learning to listen to it is my constant challenge.
This is a quote from the next book on my reading list:

Even when we're not at a fork in the road, wondering what to do and trying to hear that inner voice, our intuition is always there, always reading the situation, always trying to steer us the right way. But can we hear it? Are we paying attention? Are we living a life that keeps the pathway to our intuition unblocked? Feeding and nurturing our intuition, and living a life in which we can make use of its wisdom, is one key way to thrive, at work and in life. –Thrive, by Ariana Huffington

Here's a must read list of the 10 things highly intuitive people do differently, just in case you are on the same quest to listen to your intuition as I am!

This original 6"x6" oil painting is being donated to an Alzheimer fundraising event.

Painting detail:

courage

Love the colors of this one.

This original 6"x6" oil painting is available, unframed, for $85. You can purchase it here.
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spiderwort

Busy weekend. Today was the first time I was able to paint since last week. I so look forward to my mornings with painting and coffee. Nothing better. I started this painting last Friday and finished this morning. Ever working on my constant goal of painting loose. This 6"x6" original oil painting is available, unframed, for $75. Click to Bid

Here is "spiderwort," on my (rather messy) easel this morning. (I bought my tabletop easel from Karin Jurick several years ago and just love it!)

cup half full

A great way to start off the week, cup half full. I painted this over the weekend and just fell in love with the colors. It's larger than my usual, as my goal is to paint larger. Madly in love, with my cup half full. Wishing you a wonderful week! This original oil painting is 12"x12" and available, unframed, for $185.

a beauty

Beauty in everything. How can a Spiderwort ever be considered a weed. Really? 4"x4" $50 unframed.