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

You know those times when life just… pauses?
Not in a dramatic way — more like when the background noise suddenly drops, and you realise you can hear yourself a little more clearly.
That’s where I am right now.
Just listening.
Letting things unfold in their own time.

The Stories Behind the Art

Most of what I paint comes from moments of deep connection with animals.
Each one has their own presence, their own story, their own emotional landscape.

It’s rarely predictable.
Every encounter is different, full of small moments that stay with me — shaped, always, by wherever I happen to be in my own inner world.

Animals have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Not as “subjects,” but as companions.
Beings who have touched my heart in ways I never expected.

It’s not only their beauty — it’s their honesty. Their unfiltered, grounded way of being.
Around them, I find myself returning to something true and unguarded in me.

Sharing the Connection

I share these experiences because I hope that even people who may never have this kind of closeness — or don’t necessarily seek it — might still recognise something familiar through a painting.
Maybe even a small reflection of their own story.

These words from Jill Robinson of Animals Asia have stayed with me:

“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 honesty continues to guide me.

Finding My Own Way

For years, I tried to fit myself into the gallery world — the expectations, the definitions, the idea that an artist needed a clear purpose laid out neatly.
I did the outreach, tried to explain the “why,” tried to make it all fit.

But eventually it just felt too loud.
Too performative.
Too far from the quiet place my art actually comes from.

A friend and mentor, Susan Seddon Boulet, once told me:
“Take care of your art, and it will take care of you.”

I think I finally understand what she meant.
These days, what matters most is being true to myself — with life, with the animals, with the creative process that moves through me.

Showing Up

At my best, everything I paint and write comes from that softer, heart-led place.
And when I share my work, it’s not as an expert — just as someone learning to listen more deeply, day by day.

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

Every encounter reminds me that kindness isn’t a dramatic gesture or a grand act.
It’s simply how we show up for one another.

And maybe — just maybe — open hearts really can help 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 shared a little about starting this blog. Today, I want to go a bit deeper—about how I arrived here, and why animals and art continue to guide me.

Personally Speaking ~ Art. Kindness. Connection.

Moments That Open Us

This blog began with something simple: the idea that animals can open something in us. Something real. Something deeply human.

Over time, I’ve realised that even a quiet moment with an animal can shift something inside me. A gentle surrender. A letting go of what I think I know. A seeing more clearly. A being in the world a little differently.

Painting from Presence

My paintings and words come from those moments. They aren’t about capturing a perfect likeness—they’re about feeling into the essence of things.

It’s rarely something I can force. Most days, it happens quietly, almost by accident: something passes between me and the canvas, and suddenly, it’s there.

And yet, I often get in my own way. I try to make it “right,” to make it perfect. I’m sure you know that one.

It’s taken years to pause, to let go. For a long time, even when I knew better, I’d battle on. Ridiculous—the battle with the canvas. Now I start in stillness. I try to listen.

Lessons from the Animals

When I spend time with animals in sanctuary settings, something shifts. 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 impressing anyone or creating decoration. It’s about surrendering my ego.  Letting there be mess, and journey, and trust—until something real emerges. Each canvas teaches me if I allow it to unfold.

An Invitation

Sometimes, I think the animals I paint come through the canvas to speak to me. It feels a little off-centre, but each story carries an experience that has stayed with me.

There’s so much we don’t know about energy, about connection. Being open feels like a good start.
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.

What Matters Most

For now, this is my way of sharing what matters to me:
Kindness. Connection. The choices we make and the unpredictable flow of our human lives.

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]

Returning to the Beginning

Holding my little Smudge book in my hands, I’m drawn back to the start of my creative journey. When I first painted on canvas, I didn’t know why I was drawn to it, or why the process felt so compelling.

Finding My Way on Canvas

I began 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. I realised painting was about more than intellect or technique—it was about presence, attention, and listening.

Painting as a Journey

When I moved to canvas, I brought what I knew: transparent oils, breaking surfaces with brushes, cloths, and tools. I let the patterns guide me.

It was emotionally challenging. Life played out on the canvas, instinctual reactions offering me ways to work through what I felt. Gradually, I realised painting wasn’t just a creative practice—it was a mirror for life: a process of self-discovery, noticing, and surrender. Could this be the voice of my own soul speaking through me?

Moments of Flow

There were times of exhaustion, confronting feelings that seemed endless. And then—a small miracle.
While painting, I’d answer the phone, and as I focused on the conversation, my brush seemed to take over. The painting came alive effortlessly, a quiet balm to my soul. That brief flow expanded into a sense of beauty and peace that felt like pure presence. I call that painting Becoming Kindred Spirits.

Remembering Reverence

Painting has become a teacher, a sanctuary, a force in my life. And yet, I still forget this sometimes—picking up the brush as if it’s a chore. That lack of attention leads to struggle. Returning to stillness, remembering to enter with presence, is the true practice.

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

Art, Animals, and Kindness

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