Quirk Online show...

my day : 28th/29th september

Its been around 2 years since I put a full body of works together for an Auction / online Exhibition.

I have forgotten how much work it is, administratively and creatively but I do love it very much. I am a little deadline driven and I am working maxed out, day in and day out to make my deadline. I won’t lie though, it makes me extremely happy. For me, these seasons of intensity in my studio, means I quietly move into flow state and this is a complete place to work from. Every now and again flow state comes around and when it does, it’s a beautiful gift and it’s precious to me.

The way life has been the past few years, flow state has been elusive but I’m glad to find myself showing up and experiencing this in small ways again. I’m hoping that it will continue and continue to mature into my next season and body of works.

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

Some of the pieces I have been working on and hoping to finish in the next few days. Some of them have been a joy and flowed and others have been harder but all in all, time in the seat is always rewarding. In between the long studio hours, I’m trying to walk as much as I can and get some movement in and keep healthy.

©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - Works in progress

I’ll be sharing more as I get closer to showing day and thank you for the love and support already. Please drop me a note if you would like to be added to the FB group / receive an invite.

More soon…

Where the Moth Waits...

From the moment I started this piece, we were fully connected and it was love all the way. She was waking me up early most mornings, calling me to come finish her and I stayed up late with her most nights until her story was complete. I love working this way.

I love all the beautiful symbolism of the Moth, there are so many. Most of all, I love where she is waiting, right on her heart-space with her feelers reaching up to her throat. This is profoundly significant to me and for me.

When I have anxiety, I feel it all in my chest, reaching up to my throat, always in this region and its oppressive and tight. Oddly enough, the new season I’m in, with my nervous system relaxing, there are moments of joy and dare I say, real happiness, that I find the feeling in the same area and it’s expansive and spacious. This has been so interesting to me… the complexity and duality that my heart space and throat being able to hold both these conflicting emotions and responses in the exact same place.

I love that the beautiful Moth is waiting right here… from throat, heart-space all the way down to her solar plexus.

SOLD ©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - 13”×18” Collage Mixed Media Acrylic Painting on an old book cover

When I started this piece it was with half the moth only on the right side of her heart space and I started entertaining the idea of it being on the other side too. I felt it would have been super busy and as you know, I do love quiet spaces. I knew if I brought the wing across, I would have to remove some of the flowers which I did and it worked well. I also wanted the wing on the left side to match and be almost identical and that worked well too.

As you know, she will be available in my next showing, please message me if you would like to tagged for her availability. Closer to the time we will be sharing more actively on FB for tagging.

Thank you so much for the love pouring in about her, it has been so beautifully delightful to know you have loved her as much as I have. From my heart to yours, always, Jm.

I walked to Lisbon...

My friend shared with me recently that she had walked to Lisbon Cathedral before her Camino, for training and to get her Camino passport. I decided to walk in her footprints… what an epic journey and I loved every step of the way.

It was a tough day out though because it was so hot. I had good intentions to leave at 6am but only left at 7am, which meant I arrived in the heat of the day and it was hot as hell.

I survived.

It was still early by Portugal standards and I love being out when it’s so beautifully quiet. The only thing to remember is that WC’s only open at 9/10am in Portugal, so it’s advisable not to have a big cup of coffee before you leave. Due to me leaving a bit later, I had to put the hammer down all the way to Belem to try make up distance in the cooler part of the day. I did take some time out, to photograph my journey though. It was so beautiful. I am doing this route often by train or car but I saw so much more on foot and I loved it. It is absolutely worth the effort. I can highly recommend.

After a little refuel at Pateis de Belem, I stocked up with more cold water and kept trekking. I left Belem at around 12pm and it was scorching hot. As I was mapping out the last part of my route, I discovered that the Cathedral is closed on Sundays. Oopsy, it hadn’t occurred to me to check this fact, it’s a Catholic church in Europe after all, one would assume it’s open on a Sunday. I had to keep going even though I was a bit gutted. I wasn’t going to get my passport but I was going to get my kms and training done.

When I got to to Honest Greens close to the Cais de Sodre station, arguably I could have headed home due to the fact that the Cathedral wasn’t open but I was determined to get there. It was a mental game for me now, the last 2-4km’s were killer. I had my dear friend Sonia (who just did the Camino), my Mom and Corksi talking me to my imaginary finish line. It was so hot and I was struggling with the crowds and heat at the end so the virtual company was so welcome. When I got to the end I sat on the steps by the closed doors for a while to try and compose myself.

Walking to Lisbon Cathedral - 24.5km

Guys, I walked to Lisbon from my apartment. Someone pinch me please.

I now feel good about my pilgrimage that’s coming up and we are going to be okay. We only have one 25km day on our journey… our last day to Santiago Compostela. The other days are more around 20kms. I’ve broken in my new shoes and my new day pack and I’m happy with everything. We have sorted out our route to and from Porto and Spain. Now we focus on keeping healthy and keeping our mileage up.

Counting down the days…

Hello August...

How gorgeous to have summer in August, this is new for me. Now that summer is in full swing, I’m enjoying it so much. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Winter months but I did have a year long stint this past year, which was a bit much. It’s lovely to have some natural vitamin D and wearing all things sleeveless and of course, to be fully immersed in the ocean again. This has me smiling from ear to ear.

I’m not sure where July went but wow that went fast.

My yoga slowed quite a bit this month but I quietly did an online Yoga Synergy, course with Jim, my old yoga teacher from Cape Town. I haven’t done Synergy for a while but it’s a long slow practice so it was nice to be back with this set routine. I didn’t do any Swimming Dragon, Tai Chi this month because my Sensei had surgery and is recovering. I was generally a bit out of sync with some of my local yoga classes too, so here is hoping August will be a little more consistent.

I did however walk a huge amount this month in preparation for my Camino and did a long hot hike last Sunday. One of my longest days walking here in Portugal, we covered close to 25km and my goodness, it was hot. You know me and the heat… I suffer.

I also had my dear friend over from Aveiro for a few days and spent a few days in the Algarve with one of my best friends and her family. These two visits were like medicine for my soul. I am so grateful for these moments. I am also back to my cold water swims and that ramped up in a big way this month. I find the water here pretty mild generally, except this last week, it’s been Cape Town cold. Bearing in mind the chill in Cape Town is due to it being South Atlantic waters. So my last two swims felt like I was back in my old tidal pool back home but I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back to this exquisite practice.

The ocean does something to me… I am healing.

My days are generally quiet and peaceful. I wake early each day and watch the sun rise over Lisbon. I have that gorgeous orange glow every morning. My big windows are wide open and a cool breeze flows in as I brew my coffee. The swallows swoop high and low around my window and greet me each day. I see my church and hear the bells in the distance, little reminders that I live in Europe. I am so grateful for these small gifts each day.

I then head to my writing desk to do my morning pages or my yoga mat for early morning practice.

This couldn’t sum me up more accurately in this season.

I hope I never lose these parts of me…

~

Okay August… let’s go quietly ahead together, we have lots of work to do.

xxx

Three of my favorite songs from July.

#InMyStudio - Painting everyday....

©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - SOLD

I am fully back to painting everyday with these glorious back to back days #inmystudio and I do love it so very much. I know it’s the only way I can get myself back to flow state and to work intuitively from one piece to the next and for new ideas to be birthed.. It’s in allowing the spaciousness of my open desk and leaving work out and bobs and bits that actual play begins to happens.

I’m joining Stephanie again at the end of September on the delightful Quirky Show and I haven’t been with this gorgeous group for 2 years and I’m thrilled to be back. As usual I’m a mixture of nerves and excitement. There is something so special when I start completing works for a project and my body of works starts to grow. Seeing each piece evolve together.

I will share my specific showing day and the details for the event as soon as I have them… more soon

21st Sept - 1st Oct 2025

©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - SOLD

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As usual, I will have a mixture of works… a few framed miniature artworks, bigger paintings, a few mixed media pieces on wooden board and some clay pieces, in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is always my hope that there there is something there for everyone.

Hope to see you there.

From my heart to yours, always

Jeanne-Marie

Feathers and Bones....

Have you heard my news…

About heading back to my most favourite little town in Italy.

Orvieto, Italy in 2026

A hand building Sculpture Class

in Orvieto, Italy

Using beautiful organic elements together with our PaperClay to tell intutive 3D stories.

DATES: 10th - 16th May 2026

An incredible creative journey, bringing you an experience of sacred clay and art making.

Your week will be filled with exploring your paperclay combined with the art of 3D storytelling.

I will be incorporating organic elements (feathers, quills and bones, shells and driftwood) to each demonstration as well as having a focus on finding and using inspiration from this sacred little village of Orvieto, Italy. I will also be focusing on helping you build stories into each piece, together with hands and gestures to find emotion in each figurine. You will spend dedicated time throughout the week completing each story beautifully with paint and ephemera.

As we slowly meander through the beautiful streets of Orvieto, we will find inspiration and ideas to add to our work and it will end up being a generous resource for months to come. With so much beauty to behold in the architecture of this enchanting town, it promises to change the way you view your artworks.

By incorporating clay, feathers & bones, paper and paint with the elements of architecture and pattern of Orvieto into each piece we create together, we truly will be making storytelling works of art.

Please reach out if you want to journey with me for this time.

Much love always, Jeanne-Marie xxx

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

Together...

©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - SOLD

I loved seeing these two pieces together.

If you look quickly they almost look like one painting. I love the way my pieces sometimes organically work together and amalgamate with each other. Every now and again I get to see that happen in front of me. I find when I’m up close and personal with my work, I don’t always get to see the little nuances that you, on the outside get to see and then I get a glimpse and I am always a little taken a back.

It helps me see that we clearly work in rhythms and patterns and how we flow from one to the next. It always feels seperate for me but in these moments, I can see that nothing is by chance. Maybe we are more connected to ourselves and these rhythms than we know or realise and that I get to see it in visual form and with each clay piece, in 3D form.

It feels a bit like alchemy and I love seeing it in action.

Earnestly yours…

I got to spend the weekend with this precious Soul, I so enjoyed her presence.

A few months ago in my one yoga classes, we started our practice off with a little meditation sitting in Seiza (a traditional Japanese sitting style). She was based on this posture and as I was meditating, I knew I wanted to try capture this beautiful gesture in my clay.

Her half wing is from a baby seal bone that I found on the rocks back in Hermanus, a small coastal village in Cape Town which has now been gold leafed and I’m completely smitten with this little detail.

SOLD - ©JeanneMarieArt 2025

To sit Seiza is to show the utmost respect and it also helps clear the mind and keep focus.

It is by no means an easy posture and it can be painful as we get used to it.

#InMyStudio... back at last

My studio time has been a little stop-start with me having guests from back home, I am not complaining at all. I’ve loved every moment of it, it’s been such a gift in my life at this time. First Courteney and Marc and for the past two weeks, my parents. It has been a truly remarkable time for us as a family. I basically camped out at my sister’s place for the duration of the visit so we could do everything together and it was utterly heavenly but more about that in another post.

So of course, I have headed straight back into my studio this week and I am so happy to be back in my happy place. I have been finishing pieces and starting new ones, working with a bit of clay and doing lots of art admin. I couldn’t be happier. Both these pieces are available, I will be doing some weekly shop updates over the next couple of months. I am also preparing for two online exhibits / auctions I have coming up. More about these soon. xxx

SOLD - Becoming Botanical - 10”x20” Stretched canvas

©JeanneMarieArt 2025 - SOLD

Some of my unfinished works can linger with me for so long and with time I’ve learnt to accept this. I can’t force anything or rush it, I have to wait and listen to the quiet whispers of where each piece wants me to go! I am always patient and always listening.

If you have been following my social media pages you will see I’ve been sharing some timelapse videos of me painting… warmups and under-paintings so far. I have not done this for a very long time but it feels really good to be back here and dare I say, I’m having so much fun.

I finally unpacked my film-rig and camera and it’s all set up with my studio lights and I am ready to start filming and sharing again. I am not saying anything formal will come of it yet but for now, I am just mindfully sharing and playing.

It is my plan to share a little something daily or every second day of things I’m working on and progressing with. This week I shared the beginnings of some new pieces.

Keep watching this space!!!

***Pre-Orders now open....

Last week I worked with my South African Art Printers to have more of my fabric images printed off so my dear friend, Jackie can run off my new batch of cross body bags.

Limited edition cross body bags

~ only 10 available ~

I am happy to let you know that the prints have been collected and production is underway.

I have set up Pre-Orders page in my little shop for you to secure your bag.

Thank you for those who have enquired already.

Each bag is handmade and beautifully lined with traditional South African shwe-shwe fabric. The image is a lined and zipped pocket on the front of the bag. The main pouch is made from a beautiful green corduroy fabric on the front and orange on the back with an adjustable soft black velvet strap, with brass fittings.

Bag size - 10.5” x 11”

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

In other exciting news...

Our Camino de Santiago has been booked!

The Camino de Santiago, also known as the “Way of St. James,” is one of the most famous pilgrimages in Christianity and one I have waited years to do.

I have thought about it and spoken about it for years and it’s finally happening. We are doing the traditional and more original route from Portugal to Santiago, spanning over two weeks. I’m nervous and excited. I have been walking extensively the past few years and even more this year and I have been preparing longer distances the past few months and obviously this will increase the next bit until we go.

I love the sacredness of pilgrimages, to journey forward physically and inwardly and this feels significant to be doing this particular one at this time.

Beautiful Resources...

I am currently working through these incredible titles. I’m round two with Rick’s book, The Creative Act. I absolutely love his words and approach to all things creative. As you know I’m a huge follower of Julia Cameron and I forgot I downloaded this book when it was first released. I have read all of her books and I’m thrilled to be listening to this one. I’ll listen through first and then do the work assignments on round two. It’s about the art of listening… brilliant.

Painting Calm is a practical guide on painting nature in watercolors. Although I will do some work with the watercolors, I’m more after the botanical and nature elements to practice.

Two beautiful weeks....

The past few years I actually haven’t had a holiday plus in amongst that, it feels like I lost a year or two somewhere and I can’t seem to find them anywhere. I did go to India in 2023 but my goodness, that was no holiday. To date that has been my hardest retreat. So happy to share that my holiday time arrived for me in the form of Courteney and Marc popping over to Portugal for a visit…. and what a visit it was.

My love tank filled to the brim.

My heart has honestly been so full since their visit. It truly was the most beautiful gift of my year so far and there have been so many wonderful moments already which I have so much to be grateful for. I have been missing my girl so much, it’s been the longest time we have spent apart from each other and we are both not loving that part very much. It made this encounter so precious. This time together will carry me for some months to come, until we can see each other again.

I took the two full weeks off and being tourists with these two awesome humans was next level wonderful. We did lots of incredible things but the most precious of all, for me, was walking everywhere together and preparing our meals together. We mostly ate at home, it was something we decided to do upfront and honestly, it was the highlight of my everyday.

To come together around the dinner table to share healthy food every day - pure magic.

Love this picture

I love how they integrated into my new world with such ease. Now everything makes much more sense to them when I share my news and stories about my life.

Another little gift… I got to play insta-mom for her and she got some lovely captures of me in my environment. So many beautiful moments and captures.

Marc popped over to Switzerland to see extended family which meant Corks and I had some down days at home and some touring together. We did a wonderful group hike and visited Sintra with my sister. We even experienced the full power outage that affected Spain and Portugal together by candlelight. On one of our down days we got to build the most special puzzle together. It sparked such a deep joy for both of us and we laughed until I cried. I have been searching for a comfie chair and this one has surpassed all my expectations. I wanted a chair that would feel like it was giving me a hug and oh boy, right on the money with that.

This precious memory will stay with me forever.

Thank you Marc and Corks for this precious time together, I hated saying goodbye and I miss you both a lot. I had the most precious time and these days have been tucked into my heart for eternity.

Until next time darlings. xxx

#InMyStudio... a works in progress

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

I don’t often share my work in progress but I would like to start sharing some aspects of the evolution of each piece. It was something I used to do but can’t remember why I stopped sharing that. There is so much work that goes into each piece and I would love you to see more of that. Well, she certainly took on many forms and I have to laugh at myself sometimes and the way I work… stop, start, backwards and forwards. I went back to try to find her origin story and I found it was around 3 years ago.

She has kept evolving and changing but I think I am close to calling her story complete. It’s been layers and layers of paint and there are some hidden stories under there, which I just love. I think part of my “stop-start” struggle with this piece was the unusual size of her canvas, its not one I’ve done before but it has grown on me - stretched canvas 10”x20”x1.5”.

It’s my hope to finish her this weekend although I still have many layers to go for her to feel fully resolved. It’s currently a journey of love but I can see how at times, the struggle has been real.

More about this piece soon. xxx

Art pouches...

With the arrival of Courteney, so was the arrival of my new batch of Art Pouches, all the way from Cape Town. As you know, they are beautifully handmade by my dear friend, who uses my printed image of one of my original artworks and turns them into my delightful art pouches for me. Each bag lined with South African shwe-shwe fabric and always my favorite green one. I am so grateful for this collaborative project we do together and have been doing for the past few years.

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

Thank you to those who have already ordered your pouches, I hope you are loving them as much as I do. Creating them and sending them out into the world is such a love project for me, so I can’t thank you enough.

If you haven’t ordered yours yet, follow the button below.

I had two prints left after this batch and my friend made me two cross body bags which I have been testing out. Let me know if you would be interested in one of these. More about them soon as we are in chats about running off a limited batch of them. Again lined with shwe-shwe fabric on the inside and a lovely corduroy on the outside.

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

Thank you Corksi for capturing my new cross body bag - was super fun!

Alone in her Garden...

… An ode to the Gardener within.

Gardening has been and will always be a sacred act of connection to myself and my body. I spent many beautiful hours working alone in my garden back in Cape Town. Created from a dusty old sandpit to a beautiful Zen garden. It took years of love, patience and dedication to cultivate this space and often it was only Riley 🐾 and myself tolling away together. He would sit under my Persian Silk tree watching me, with the wind gently blowing his long hair and ears as he looked over his garden with me. He loved it as much as i did.

I left this sacred space behind with my prayer flags from India still flapping in the side bamboo garden and some heart shaped rocks under the trees. In the end, my garden had settled in on itself and it was filled with birds, bees and butterflies.

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I’m not sure when I will have another garden again but I look forward to when that day comes. I fell in love with being a planter of life and I loved creating sacred spaces!!!

#Ommanipadmehum #prayerflags #gardenerwithin

The Town Counsellor....

After some back to back days #inmystudio - I am thrilled to finally have finished this piece.

I started her back in Cape Town last year and she travelled with me to Ireland as I shared her “in progress” stage in the classroom. I loved being able to share this stage because that’s not often seen outside my studio. She has completely evolved and she surpassed a lot of my original ideas. I think it’s partly because of the long period between working on her and finding myself in a new creative space.

“If you step away from a work for a long period, you’ll be different when you return to it.”

— Rick Rubin

I found this quote last year May and it was so profoundly accurate to me and the way I tend to work.

SOLD - ©JeanneMarieArt 2025

I love her story so much and how she evolved with so much presence.

She is a mixture of nature and nurturer and seems so full of wisdom for her town around her. Under the earth’s surface she has a rich and lush system of seeds, plants and life. It is like she has a Tree of Life coming right through her or as if she is the Tree of Life herself, as her branches appear above the earth’s surface.

What a joy to spend time with her beautiful presence this week.

CoffeeShopScribbles...

I’ve been doing a lot of this lately since my time in Ireland… scribbling in coffee shops.

©JeanneMarieArt 2025

My little pocket size journal is filling up with graphite faces and it’s a practice that I find completely soothing. It helps me stay connected to being creative when my paints aren’t easily in reach. It also helps me keep my eye in because I draw freehand, sometimes with a reference and sometimes without. If I start with a reference, I will soon lose it and allow each piece to lead it’s own way intuitively.

A beginner's mindset...

This concept of “a beginner’s mindset” keeps popping up for me lately and it rings so true for where I am at currently.  Allowing myself to go back to basics and start again like a beginner, in all my practices, has been most humbling… on my yoga mat, in my studio, in my home and in my life. It has required a lot of patience and kindness with myself.  I am painfully aware at how much time I lost the past 18 months as I have gone through my own rock bottom moments.  After lots of personal challenges whilst packing up my life in South Africa, I suffered my worst burnout to date.

In Tai Chi - Swimming Dragon there is a pose we do, called “the Golden Cicada shed’s it skin”. It aptly became a metaphor for my life,  with a kind of allowing, I shed every aspect of my life, as I knew it.

As some of you may know, I relocated to Europe last October. I arrived here after my teaching trip to Ireland. The last 6 months have been about finding my feet, unpacking the few things I brought over with me and setting up a new home and studio.  Maybe we don’t really think about it much, but I believe it takes a lifetime to establish a beautiful home and life that you feel deeply connected to.  Finding unique pieces and elements that are special to you, that fill little spaces and time that make it uniquely your own and yours as a family.

To find myself back at the beginning, I have had to lean into that beginner’s mindset and see what unfolds. I am starting to find little elements and fill these spaces as I connect to my new environment and new life and maybe even a new sense of self.  It will take time. I can’t wait for my new home to settle in on itself as things find their place. I have been in a gentle nesting season, shifting and finding flow and new rhythms, with gratitude for the small things, at the core of it all.

Over the past 18 months, I lost my sacred flow state in both my creativity and studio. During that time, I dabbled here and there, starting many things but finishing far fewer. I am happy to say, I’m finally back in my space with consistent days in the seat and in my new studio. I need to get back to play as this is a big part of my practice. Again, I have had to lean into my beginner’s mindset to come back to my full-time practice. I’m playing again with concepts and ideas like I’m new to art and allowing things to unfold intuitively. I will share more soon as I have a new little series underway and of course I’ll be finishing pieces that I started last year.

I have and use a lot of modalities to help me regulate my nervous system but I think painting still remains my most restorative. Being able to create back to back days again has been most healing for me and to have this beautiful regulation back up and running again is such a gift to me.

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©JeanneMarieArt 2025

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My new yoga regime is also underway, phew, it took me time to find a system that would work for me. It has not been without it’s challenges. I lost a lot of strength and fitness in the move but I have been rebuilding and it’s beautiful. Being strong in my body at this age means everything to me. I am walking and hiking a lot too. I have joined a few hiking groups here and have some big hikes planned for later this year… all positive steps forward.

“One day at a time”

So I leave you with this thought that has been swirling around my mind the past while, if I continue with a beginner’s mindset every time I arrive on my mat or in my studio, never to run too far ahead of myself but to stay humble and in a forever growth mindset, that there is so much to learn in these quiet lowly places, if I allow myself.

From my heart to yours, always, Jeanne-Marie

xxx

The sound of music...

The past year or so, I gave up Apple Music and re-started my music journey on Spotify.

Music is a huge part of my daily practices and life and I am always seeking out deeply moving sounds to add to my ever-growing playlist. I have been playing my music in various settings more publicly recently and my selection has been most loved, so I thought I would share it here for you. I find the notion of sharing books and music so vulnerable as I feel it really gives one a sneaky glimpse into the internal landscapes of a person’s mind and soul. I hope you enjoy my selection as much as I do. It is gentle and at times a little haunting, mixed in with some surprising treats.

In the coming year I’ll create new and smaller lists but this will be my constant and ever growing list.

Enjoy and don’t forget to toggle the playlist for variety.

the gift of music

Not only does music release dopamine in the brain, some experts say that melancholic music also releases a hormone called prolactin, which is specifically tied to alleviating grief.