Scribbled Lives Week 4—Windows and Openings

A window or opening on a page can arouse curiosity or create a sense of intrigue, anticipation, or surprise.

For several years, the challenges of work and Toronto winters sent me packing to the California coast each spring for a retreat with my soul. Each dawn, before the marine fog lifted, I would sit alone on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and breathe.

A Mary Oliver poem comes to mind.

I struggled with this piece and worked through many ideas in the process. The scarcity of the blue mystery paper and my eagerness to see it done (yes, yes, measure twice, cut once) led to some adventures in pivoting. What began as a single fold card evolved into a small book with wavy embossed edges. What started as an assignment turned into a treasure—one that brings back memories of mornings spent by the water when the ocean did its healing work.

Watercolour, walnut ink, gouache, and pencil on laid papers.