Personally Speaking

HELLO & WELCOME
~connecting with people through art, animals and story

Hi, I’m Blaze.
This is my invitation into the stories, paintings,
and animals that have influenced me.

I love to paint and write, exploring the lessons
life keeps offering me. Painting animals has a way of bringing those lessons to life — the process keeps me open and listening to insights and reflections.

This isn’t polished or perfect —
it’s simply where I share my experiences,
just as they are.

Sometimes life just presses the pause button.
Not in a dramatic way — more like a place where the white noise stops, and we might  hear ourselves differently.

That’s where I find myself now — listening, letting things speak in their own time.

Most of what I paint comes from my own experiences of deep connection with animals. Every animal has their own personality, their own story, their own emotional landscape.
My experience can be challenging, always different, many  moments that impact on me.  And, of course where I am at in my inner world.

Animals been part of my world for as long as I can remember.
Not as subjects, but as companions — beings who touch my heart in ways I never imagined possible.
It isn’t just their beauty, but how  utterly real they are.
Around them, I seem to find my way back to an authentic, unguarded part of myself.

I share these moments in the hope that people who may never experience this kind of closeness, nor want to, might still feel something familiar through a painting — maybe even a piece of their own story.

Jill Robinson of Animals Asia wrote:
“Animals have emotions every bit as profound as ours – and our duty to them all is to recognise this, help them, and work for the day when we can look into their eyes without shame.”
Her words have stayed with me.

For years, I tried to fit into the world of galleries and expectations, believing that’s where an artist was meant to be.
I reached out, tried to define my work, tried to give it a clear “purpose.”
But eventually, it all felt too loud. Too performative.

Susan Seddon Boulet, a friend and mentor, once told me,
“Take care of your art, and it will take care of you.”
I think I finally understand what she meant.

What matters most to me  today is being true to myself—with whatever life offers in the moment, with animals, with my creative process.

At best, I paint and write from that heart.
And I share my world — not as an expert, but as someone learning to listen more deeply.

I truly believe animals can open our hearts in ways we don’t expect.
That’s why I share these stories and  paintings.

Each encounter reminds me that kindness isn’t a grand gesture, a big heroic act; it’s simply how we show up.

And maybe — just maybe —open hearts really can create a more peaceful world.

Love these words – “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” — Chief Seattle

Thank you for being here, it’s a gift to share my journey with you!!!.
Keep creating in whatever way is yours…blaze

Art,Kindness,Connection

Painting isn’t about control or perfection —
it’s about trust and surrender.
It’s when I stop trying to ‘get it right’
then something true begins to appear.

Here, I share that unfolding journey —
messy, honest, without judgment or expectation,
and always surprising.

Hi and Welcome back.
In my last post, I wrote about beginning this blog. Today, I want to share a little more about how I arrived here — and why animals and art continue to guide me.

Personally Speaking ~ Art. Kindness. Connection.

This journal began with something simple from my own life: the idea that animals can open something in us. Something real. Something deeply human.
Over time, I’ve come to see that what starts as a simple moment of connection with an animal often leads to a deeper shift in me. A surrender. Letting go of what I think I know. Seeing more clearly. Being in the world differently.

My paintings and my words respond to those moments. They’re not about capturing a likeness—they’re about feeling into the essence of things. Honestly, it happens by accident. It’s not something I can make happen. One day I just noticed: there was something that happened between me and the canvas.

And yet—so often I get in my own way. I’m a great one for trying to get it right, to make it perfect. I’m sure you know that one!

It’s taken years to really pause, to let go. For a long time, even though I knew better, I would still ‘battle on’. Ridiculous, really—the battle with the canvas! Now I trust more. I begin in stillness. I listen.

When I spend time with animals in sanctuary settings, something happens in that space—something I don’t always have words for. But I feel it. And somehow, it finds its way onto the canvas.

This isn’t about creating art to impress or decorate. It’s about surrendering my ego. Allowing my skill to simply turn up. Letting there be mess, and journey, and trust—until something real emerges. Each canvas teaches me as I allow it to unfold.

In my private mind, I believe the animals I paint come through the canvas to communicate with me. It’s a little off-centre, I know — but truly, each story carries an experience that has stayed with me

Bottom line—you don’t need to ‘understand’ the art in any particular way. Just spend time with it. Notice what it brings up in you. There’s no right interpretation—only an invitation.
If my paintings stir an emotional response in you, that amazes me.

There’s so much more in this. So much we don’t know about energy. Being open is a good start, I guess.

For now, this is my way of sharing what matters to me: Kindness. Connection. The vagaries of our human existence.

Thank you for being here—it’s a gift to connect with you.
Stay warm. [ it’s winter here] and keep creative …….blaze

My First White Wall

Hello Again –
This is the story of how
I first stepped into the world of painting—
starting with a big, white wall and
a whole lot of fear and excitement.

“Some of the wall murals from my past. I learned to paint on the job!”

How I Entered the World of Painting – My first white wall
Now I am taking a risk.  This is a piece I wrote for my creativity mentor in California.  It is from the heart and a bit like prose, I guess, so please indulge me here.

Sitting in the middle of the floor, laying out my brushes in an orderly line on my dust-rug, paints in lines of color, all looking very professional and easy to see.  A sense of order descended into the room, as I breathed a sigh of relief, so nice to be back.  Now I felt in control only to look up at the seemingly huge white gleaming wall in front of me – the fear and anticipation gurgling in my stomach, the excitement of entering the unknown.  The only way to ‘Be’ within this fear was to slowly approach it, gesture by gesture, masking the wall, mixing the colors hoping ‘wall’ did not notice my quaking flesh.  Then finally I looked my fear in the eye and jumped in – a mark, a color, and a place to begin.  Without thinking I slowly made lines, boundaries around the wall, ‘cutting in’ to contain the impact of the energy building up inside me-and then’ splash’!  There it is, the vomit of my fear breaking into reality – a paint spot on the wall greedy for my attention.  As I worked rhythmically to the beat of the music from my walk-man, allowing my hand to flow beyond the control of my mind, a surge of joy rocketed through my bones, a sense of power, unbounded energy, a feverish movement unable to stop engulfed by the curiosity of creating….

“Above is an octagonal dining room painting with the life story of a wonderful author and bohemian spirit.”

So profound were these experiences that I grew to love the frightening expanse of ‘white unknown’ that became the palette for me to express what was there for me, absolutely in that moment. I never knew what would emerge and found that the result did not sit sleepily on the wall but rather engaged the audience with their own energy and individuality.  Within this happening there existed a space of intensity and peace that I could not describe.

I never expected it, but that first wall became a doorway. A place I returned to again and again—not to escape life, but to meet it fully.

PS. I didn’t have a camera in those days so not a lot of images!!!!

My next blog will share what happened when I left the wall behind… and picked up a canvas.

For now thank you for being here. Look forward to next time.
Stay creative ….blaze

Self-Discovery

Painting on canvas wasn’t what I expected —
sometimes messy, often surprising,
and always a little like a dance with myself.

Here, I share what emerges:
moments with animals, discoveries in the process,
and the small surprises that keep me moving, watching, noticing.

Thanks for joining me on this unfolding journey.

‘I’ve been Smudged club.’ Check out my beautiful book – Smudge-personally speaking [link]

Holding my little Smudge book in my hand, I’m drawn back to the origins of my creative journey.
When I first painted on canvas, I had no idea why I was drawn to it, or why the process felt so compelling.

I started on walls, creating textures, following patterns as they evolved in the paint. I tried to mimic the old masters—playing with colour, building layers, experimenting with texture. But something was missing.

It wasn’t until I spent time with Susan Seddon Boulet, a visionary artist in San Francisco, that a door opened.
A flicker of realisation: painting was more than intellect or technique.

When I moved to canvas, I brought what I knew—transparent oils, breaking surfaces with brushes, cloths, tools—allowing the patterns to guide me.
It was emotionally challenging. My life seemed to play out on the canvas, instinctual reactions presenting me with ways to work through what I felt.

Gradually, I realised painting wasn’t just a creative practice—it was a metaphor for life.
A process of self-discovery, of noticing, of surrender.
Could this be the voice of my soul breaking through, offering insights beyond what I consciously knew?

There were moments of exhaustion, confronting pain that felt endless. And then — a small miracle.
While painting, I answered the phone, and as I focused on the conversation, my brush took over. The painting came alive effortlessly, a balm to my soul. That brief flow expanded, a sense of beauty and peace that felt like pure presence. I call it Becoming Kindred Spirits.

Painting has become a teacher, a sanctuary, a force in my life. More often than I like, I forget this, picking up the brush as if doing chores. That lack of reverence can lead to struggle. Coming back, remembering to enter stillness, is the true practice.

Writing my little Smudge book felt like revisiting this journey. My art is not planned—it unfolds in spite of me. All I need to do is stay open and trust the process. A metaphor for life. A metaphor for communion—with art, and with animals.

I believe artists influence the River of Life. What I put into my art, the viewer takes away. Kindness is my motivation. Animals open human hearts. Open hearts are kind. So I paint animals. Through them, I see all that is good in the world. Through them, I learn to be kind to myself and others. Surely, only good can come from that.

Lovely to see you here. Keep creative in your world … blaze