Magic. It is one word that sums up so much for me. Nostalgic memories from childhood, really magical themed things like fairies and crystals, the beauty of nature and seeing a really tiny snail or frog way down on the ground that you managed not to step on, holiday lights filling the night sky and the chill of colder days. 

Magic is the word which hugs all these warm and fuzzy things I enjoy in life.  It is an energy you look at, feel around for, appreciate and play with. 

When I make art it is like playing with the energy of magic. It is not something I am or I do, it is something I engage with. 

When I watch my kids laugh and play, my toddler laugh hysterically while playing outside, chasing bubbles or seeing something new even if it is something as simple as a night light plugged into the wall, his delight is just as big as it would be if he were playing with a great new toy. 

Creating art is an opportunity to play with the energy that feels like magic to me. I take these different, for lack of a better word, ingredients, and I put them all together and out comes a totally new creation. A creation that someone else may say to me, "This is so me!" or "Those are totally my colors!" or "I have been looking for something just like this!" All of which are wonderful things to hear. 

Because you, the collector, the viewer of the art, the owner of it, well you are as much a full part of the creation as I am, as the paints and paper and ingredients are. It is a beautiful circle and cycle of creation from the ideas in my mind, the supplies I choose to buy, and throwing things together so someone else can enjoy it. 

Getting to share in that process of magical energy and creativity is one of the wonderful moments of my day to day. It is not something you have to make or force, it is the feel good moments that you play with or witness.