Bali and Thailand © 2014 JLV

 Obviously from my lack of posts, I will probably never be a blogger. I will only post when I've things to say and not ramble. Here goes.  The last seven glorious weeks have been all about summer breaks and family time. Which means, all schedules are thrown out the window.  The days were filled with swimming, badminton, movie dates with my kids, lunch, art activities, pretend warrior games between my children and the lists goes on. There was little time for my art but whenever I had a chance to sketch, I would find myself picking up a book instead.

We have taken several short trips during the last seven weeks to make things more interesting.  Our destinations were Bali and Thailand. Scenes of wide sandy beaches, rice fields, and oceans blew us away.  I’ve seen fishes up close and felt them brush against me jumped into oceans trembling with fear but too stubborn to just sit back on the boat while my family enjoyed snorkeling among the fishes in the ocean. I have only seen places like these in movies and had wondered if they were real. They were beyond my imagination.  I have absolutely no idea what I’m planning to do with the hundreds of photos I’ve taken.

So, why am I going on and on about our summer?  Well, I find that once in a while if I take myself away from my comfort zone and routine, it gives me a mental break from my art but yet at the same fill me with loads of ideas and stories after the break. When I get back, all I want to do is sit in a room and draw and draw. Going away wakes up my senses that are sometimes dull by routines and safe grounds. When I come home, everything looks and feels new and I’m passionate about my art all over again. I’m happy to hear from my clients and I smile a bit more.  I also see how much my children have gained from these trips away from home and hopefully they will carry these memories with them for the rest of their lives or at least a couple of months.

I’ve got stories in my head that I want to put down. I’m looking forward to new projects coming up in the next few months and working on my own stories. I'm curious where these stories will take me. I'm excited to see what my publishers think of the stories.  For now, I have these wonderful summer memories to contend with on rainy days and when I need a little kick in the butt to get my creative juices flowing again.

Talk soon.