The Countdown: Colombia and a Passion for Life

Sarah Crawford :: The Countdown :: 32cm x 32cm :: Acrylic on canvas

It’s been a quiet time for my artwork since returning from Colombia.  I’ve been busy, yes, definitely there is that.  I also had that feeling after those amazing trips when you wonder where your place is in the world.  You don’t feel as inspired by your surrounds because you have just returned from something so different, so spectacular and life changing that you can’t imagine going back to the life you once had.  The things before you went away that you were unhappy with are magnified ten times over.  A million times over.  You wonder how you let them stay in your life.  Maybe because you were in the countdown.  The countdown to the dream holiday.  You can put up with so much when you know you have something wonderful to look forward to.

So when you return, there is no countdown.  It has dissolved.  Gone.  You have your memories of a world that was fun, where you smiled each day, laughed, experienced the new, explored and loved every moment.  There were no pressures.  You did what made you happy, each day was about living for joy, making the most of it all and capturing moments so you can hold onto them forever.  You felt a warmth in your heart because you are feeling passion for life, you are living.

The few months after returning from this trip I found it hard to paint.  My surrounds and my life were no longer inspiring me in the same way.  I wasn’t feeling that same passion I had experienced.  So it became a quiet time for my creations.  Trying out new techniques, sketching up new ideas.  Nothing really filling my heart with a sense of love.

It took me two months to make big changes to find that passion for life, for creating.  And another month to really start feeling myself again.  My trip to Colombia changed my life.  It was everything I had dreamed of and more.  It left me with a sense of happiness but also the urge to be there once more.  So I now have made my own countdown.  It doesn’t have any number of days just a knowledge that someday I would be back there, in Cartagena, listening to the music, laughing and happy, in awe of a culture that is so spectacular and rich in history. And now, I am sitting here, full of passion for life, and in what I do.  I am on my new adventure with no idea what will come next other than something fresh.  Something new and before I know it the countdown of days will be on again to go back to Cartagena.  But for now, I paint and have new ideas, am finding inspirations in so many places – and dreaming of relaxing in a hammock in the not too distant future.

Sarah xo

The painting ‘The Countdown’ is the first for me in 2012 and is part of series of the same name.  It represents the need for passion in life and of living each day with hope and happiness and believing there is a countdown to something even more spectacular to look forward to.

Click here to view this artwork and more at www.sarahcrawford.com.au

New Beginnings on a Lazy Day

Sarah Crawford :: New Beginnings :: 25cm x 25cm :: Acrylic on ply wood

 

New Beginnings.  Some small, some big.  So much to be excited about.  So many opportunities, so much progress.  I find myself appreciating every moment in life more than ever before.  Savouring the moments of feeling the fresh air on my skin.  I dream of a lazy day, the breeze in my hair, lying in a hammock under trees by the ocean, the sun on my skin, in a place I have never been.  Each day I know that the day is closer for my lazy day.  The reward for all the dedication and love put into my every day.   A lazy day to reflect and smile. To think of the beauty of the past and the prospect of a beautiful future.   I will have my one lazy day in Colombia, my dream since I was a young girl, studying the map of South America.  Not long now.  I can count the days until I am there.

Sarah Crawford :: Lazy Day :: 25cm x 25cm :: Acrylic on ply wood

Wide Eyed and Willing

Sarah Crawford :: Together We Travel ::30.5m x 41cm : Acrylic on canvas

I remember a time feeling so free, vulnerable yet free.  When I had less but I had so much more.  I remember the sun was always shining.  The ocean was a constant companion.  Music was my inspiration.  Learning in new surroundings, full of wide eyes.  I remember it as the good life.  Days filled with pretty dresses so bright it made me smile. A girl on the verge of a world she knew little about.  It was like a retreat, a dream.  I felt like Little Miss Sunshine, with poetry on my mind and the belief that romance is not dead.  I was reaching for the stars, because I believe we are made to reach for the stars.  And all those little extras that define your style.  Our future.  Love, love LOVE.

I reminded myself each day with a few words from Walt Disney… “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”.

Michael Jackson Never Can Say Goodbye

Never Can Say Goodbye - Acrylic on Canvas

I love feeling free and happy, when you just want to skip along and watch the ocean, breath in the fresh air, paint colourful pictures, laugh with your family and friends.  It reminds me of being a child.  I never want to lose that feeling of childhood.  Of innocence and love of life.  When living in the happiness of the moment was all that mattered.

We Are Always Watching

We Are Always Watching - Mixed media on paper

Sometimes you feel a little alien. Sometimes you feel like you are being watched.  Every move seems important.  The slightest of moves you feel are so important in the big picture.  I wonder who is watching?  I wonder all the time.  The more I watch the more I wonder.  Have you seen me around?  You might notice my eyes, you can’t forget them.  They draw you in and your mind is taken.

All this time I knew.  Do you see me in the boat?  It goes so fast, so beautiful, so sleek.  I see timber, I see white and above all I see bright, bright blue.  Hair is dark and eyes so big.  Clarity and crispness.  The ocean surrounds.  The ones who helped me to this place are by my side.  We are always watching.  See our eyes?  We see your mind.

 

Ruby - Markers and ink on paper

You might see me sometime.  My name is Ruby.  I know style.  In the fashionable kind of way.

 

Tribal Chief Snapper - Ink and markers on paper

I’m pretty sure if you’ve been to Snapper I’ll have seen you.  I’m the Tribal Chief.  Nothing gets past me.

 

Danger Tallows - Markers and ink on paper

Remember that day you were surfing and a big shadow went under you?  And there was that feeling of dread.  What was down there?  Ever wonder how you didn’t see that shadow again?  My name is Danger Tallows… protector of the waters.

 

Queen of the Rain - Ink and markers on paper

I know you have all been watching me.  The Queen of the Rain.  There was conflict and it will settle.  I was nearly overthrown.  Order is being restored and life will get back to normal.

 

Big Eyes - Markers and ink on paper

You don’t need to tell me anything. I already know.  My big eyes read your mind.

 

I first saw one surfing.  Then I saw them everywhere.

♥ For The Love ♥ Art Show

♥ For The Love ♥ Art Show by Sarah Crawford

I tell you I get so excited leading up to a showing of my artworks!  I start painting all through the night, I can’t sleep, my mind is racing a million miles an hour – and I also get anxious!  I inevitably try something new, then want to do a whole series of those new works, adding to the pressure, and generally forgetting the other works I need to finish.  Until a few days before that it, then I don’t sleep for a few days, wishing I had stayed focused on what I needed to do!  I wouldn’t change it (much!) because it allows me to come up with new ideas.  It would save a few tears I’m sure if I stayed within the boundaries, but where is the creative fun in that?

So what will you see at this show?  Of course there will be nudes, that goes without saying.  And fashion. There will be birds, dogs, maybe some fish.  Some famous faces and those aliens that seem to pop up everywhere.  There is even a special skateboard deck I have painted – a first for me.

My art shows are about sharing the passions in my life.  My passions have come for this show from your passions.  I see and hear you all with that special something or someone that lights up your soul.  Maybe it’s your pet, your dog, your best friend.  When you speak of him you do so with such passion.  He makes your life special.  It might be the music, the clothing – or just the love of the living of life.  But it lights up your life.

If you are on the Gold Coast on Sunday 5 December I would love for you to come along so you can see these artworks inspired by passion.  The show is from 3-6pm at littleBEANS on the Gold Coast Hwy at Nobby Beach.  A special place to me as it was the venue for my 1st ever solo show a few years ago.  And they continue to support me to this day.

The restaurant is open all day and is perfect for a Sunday afternoon drink!  Hope to see you there – You’ll see me doing something that lights up my life.

xo

www.sarahcrawford.com.au

 

For the Love of Birds

 

For the Love of Birds – Mixed Media on Canvas Paper

I tell you I love birds!  They are so amazing. Over the years I have spent so much time watching them.  My favourite is watching them fly above the ocean, then dive into the water to catch a fish.  I can watch for hours.  Imagine being the bird, flying through the air, diving into the water… spectacular!

The ocean today looks so alive.  It is a darker blue than it normally is, lots of white peaks… reminds me of growing up and along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria.  I stood on the balcony this morning watching the ocean, one of the luxuries of living so close to the beach and having a view from your home, the birds still diving yet they were being pushed around by the gusts of wind.  It showed such determination.

One of my favourite memories of the ocean was on a stormy day in Lorne many years ago.  It looked so wild – so alive and passionate.  The wind was howling, it was cold, the waves were big, the sea was rough.  I can still smell the ocean from that day, feel the intensity of the storm and the beauty of nature.

Today is Monday – creative day, art day, my day.  I love Mondays!  It allows me to do what I love, completely be myself and be in my daydream world.  Reflect on the world and how lucky I am for all the beautiful experiences and wonders I have been a part of.

xo

don’t forget to visit my website at www.sarahcrawford.com.au for all artworks and details of upcoming exhibitions

Sunday 5 December

3-6pm

littleBeans – Gold Coast Hwy, Nobbys Beach, Gold Coast

Sarah Crawford Art on Display – come and see what I have been creating and of course, I would love to see you there xo