Maudie, or Bursting with Joy

Blue and green are so pretty together, yet this is probably the first such a bold combination I've done. I probably told you on numerous occasions that I was a huge fan of green for as long as I can remember, yet in the last few years I've done very little of it, and this skirt (bought back in Spring) is one of my first attempts to add back more green to my closet. It's made of thick cotton, and I love that it keeps its shape.

The blouse, on the other hand, is made of delicate cotton voile, fully lined, and features a gorgeous Hungarian style embroidery. I wanted to find an embroidered blouse or dress all Summer long, and this top does it for me (bought during semi-annual sales for a fraction of the price). I added another folk piece, the enamel earrings that I found in a thrift store last Spring (along with a necklace that I've shown before), and my woven fabric belt which I was so happy to rediscover in my closet - it goes with so many things I wear lately.

So where did I wear this folk inspired outfit? To see a wonderful movie about a famous Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis - Maudie. If you haven't seen it, please go, no, don't go - run to watch it!! It's an amazing example of storytelling, photography, directing and acting, featuring an absolutely genius performance by Sally Hawkins. It's an immediate favorite and will become classic in my personal "best movies ever" list, I'll watch it again and again. Inspiring, moving, heartwarming - those are the things I am craving when it comes to art. Such a rare mix...

Maud Lewis was born in Nova Scotia where she lived all her life (1903-1970). She had a health condition caused by rheumatoid arthritis. She married a fish-monger Everett Lewis (brilliantly played by Ethan Hawke) who encouraged her to paint. She had never seen other artists, never blended paints, and her first art teacher was her mother who told her to make Christmas cards, and that's how it all started for Maud, I suppose. As so many of us, creative types, she wasn't being called an artist until much later in life. Yet, she was a born original artist indeed.

As you can see, her paintings (mostly no bigger than 8 by 10 inches due to the physical difficulty of making bigger brush strokes) depict scenes from life around her. A small maritime town, animals, landscapes, changing seasons, people's activities. Many of them she painted from memories, since she spent most of her time in a tiny house where she lived with Everett. She painted a lot and sold her work for 2 or 3 dollars a piece. Her tiny painted house is now a part of a permanent exhibit in Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. 

In the movie, one of her fans and patrons of her artwork asked Maudie to teach her to paint. To which Maudie said, "Nobody can teach it. I guess if you want to paint, you just paint." These words resonate with me deeply. When we feel the rush to do something - paint, write, dress up - we just have to do it! Forget the rules, the textbooks, the definitions... JUST PAINT! Maudie, of all people, had a very few reasons to be happy. She lived in a tiny one-room house, in poverty, had incurable health issues, and so on. Yet, when I look at her smiley face and her colorful art, I can't help but feel that she was bursting with joy. And that is the biggest measure of a successful life to me. Not how accomplished, confident, recognized or wealthy we are. But how joyful we are, on a day to day basis. So let us not seek for the reasons to be unhappy with ourselves and unsatisfied with our lives. 

Let ourselves do what we love today, and every day! 

Let us surround ourselves with those whom we love! 

Let us simply accept ourselves, with all our quirks!

And let ourselves burst with joy today, and every day!

   

Blouse - Talbots

Skirt - Eloquii

Shoes - Dansko

Hat, glasses - Lane Bryant (old)

Purse - Old Navy (old)

Belt - Target (old)

Earrings - thrifted

Linking with Visible Monday

* * * 

Find my books at

AMAZON or INDIE BOOKSELLERS 

in Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, Washington

SUPERSEAL, my new book, is coming in 2017!

Connect on

INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK     YOUTUBE