Art Of Tracy Verdugo Blog

2017, a year to reflect and replenish..... so here we go my sweet creative friends and family..... Many of you know me well enough by now to know that I am not one for brief recaps.  Some of my annual recaps go on and on and on, but this year, I am resolving to put it all in a nutshell, or at least a tiny glimpse of it in a nutshell. **please read all the way to the bottom to enter my end of year giveaway. There are 10 spots in my upcoming Face Fascination class up for grabs AND an original painting!! After the intensity of last 2016 (you can catch up here ), my journey through breast cancer and subsequent treatment, I made the decision to take things way easier than I have done for the past five years. I soaked in numerous bubble baths  Spent more time playing games, even when obstacles presented themselves took myself on lots of walks to the beach  looking for love in all the right places  and...

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”  ―  Anaïs Nin Change can be subtle, imperceptible. We set our intentions for how we would like things to be and sometimes without knowing it we even set intentions for how we would like things not to be. I've been getting very clear around the kinds of intentions I shoot out to the Universe these past few years and for the most part, I feel in alignment with my highest self. Sometimes it feels like I'm plodding along, making small moves, some deliberate, some tentative or unsure. Like the day I took myself on an artists date and lined up these rocks all the way to the waters edge, just because I could. Weeks later I ...

Oh dear!! Really?? It's been three days since I was here? What to do?? Well I guess I'll just have to share a little of what I've been up to and give you all three days of gratitude in one  and briefly cos' it's 6.40pm and I'm on dinner! My homemade veggie burgers if you'd like the recipe! And besides if I don't get out to that glass of vino soon Luna may just beat me to it!  So yesterday mi amor and I sprawled out on the lounge room floor and brainstormed ALL of the possibilities for 2018 and believe me there were a LOT!!  Beautiful people all over invite me to come teach in their lovely spaces and towns and I wish I could say yes to everyone but the bottom line is I'm learning (especially this year) that sometimes I have to say no. I know that many of you have my back and I get so many messages making sure that I'm not overdoing things and that I'm practicing self care.  So here I am checking in with you...

Today Facebook reminded me that it has been exactly five years since I took the giant leap towards quitting my day job as a teachers aide in Special Ed and transitioning from a small town after school art class teacher to teaching my workshops and retreats all over this gorgeous world! I am over the moon grateful for this and still pinch myself regularly to make sure that its real! On this weekend five years ago I taught my very first Paint Mojo workshop!!! A small group of us gathered in a local barn to paint, explore and share stories. It was low key, I was super nervous and not really sure of myself but I gave the best that I had at the time. Since then I have taught over 100 in person workshops around this beautiful planet, the best part of which has been meeting, communing and creating with so many gorgeous, amazing and inspiring souls!! My heart is so full when I think about each and every one of you and how far we have come together and how much amazi...

Hey there lovebugs. Listen closely. Wanna know a secret? Creativity is a gift and I am so grateful for it. But it's not a gift just for a select few. It's our birthright, every SINGLE one of us and we are finding our way back home to it every time we choose to bring something new to the world. When we dare to try new things envision new outcomes let go of old patterns and belief systems This week has been pure delight with lots of hours in my studio, and elephants and owls flying and stampeding in and out as fast as I can paint them.  I've felt in flow in every way and for that I am truly thankful. At the end of a studio session on Wednesday evening I picked up one last piece of watercolor paper and made some different marks. The paper was not completely blank as Bella had decided, the day before, to put her little paw into some wet teal paint on my palette and go for a meander across my table....