The Blog of Manon Doyle

little circles of hope and other work

2012-05-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

©manon doyle

I've been hard at work in my studio. I've been making a bunch of these pendants which I'm calling...*little circles of hope.* I wear this one all the time and when I touch the rings it reminds me of my goals to always give back. I know as artists it's hard at times to make that happen but I believe that it is important and necessary for our souls.

©manon doyle

I've been enameling a ton in this incredible heat. I keep telling myself to drink water so I don't end up flat on the floor....lol. Btw...these pieces are all pendants for necklaces.

©manon doyle

I'm showing you just a few of the earrings I'm doing. The Work of Artists owner thinks that the skulls will be a big hit there.....lol. I will make a couple of more styles for him.

Hope everyone has a great day!!

fill your heart with art
~manon

the old and the new

2012-05-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

©manon doyle

It's been so long since I posted that I'm not familiar at all with this new blogger interface....OMG!! I'm trying to make paragraphs and it won't let me plus my name with the copyright is merging with the rest of my stuff!!! What has happened????? So... I just decided to go back to the old interface. I need paragraphs in my life....lol!!

©manon doyle

I've been hard at work for the last few months learning ear wire techniques, enameling, closures and so on. Finally I've been able to apply all that I have taken to create pieces that are jiving with me. I've also been turning everything over to my Sisters of the Sun name. That will soon include my art page on Facebook that I will be closing down and renaming Sisters of the Sun. I also have a new email address that will become active in the next day or so and that is.....manon@sistersofthesun.com. Whew... I can hardly keep up with myself....lol.

©manon doyle

I just found out that I will be selling my pieces at a gallery in Scottsdale in the next few weeks once those pieces are done....lol. I'm pretty excited about that.

©manon doyle

©manon doyle

Hope everyone is doing well!! I see a lot of you on Facebook but the pages I haven't been visiting forever.... I promise I will come and see what you've been up too!! : ))

Fill your heart with art

~manon

small steps

2012-03-12T18:00:00.001-04:00

©manon doyle

The last two months have been a crazy ride. It reminds me of the old expression .....*when it rains it pours*. Two days before my dad's memorial service I woke up to the most incredible pain in my leg. Long story short.... bulging disc/sciatica. OUCH. The 5 hour trip back to AZ was pure agony. Anyway.... made it back and spent a week on the couch with ice. I'm currently seeing a very good chiropractor. Yay!!

During the past month I obviously couldn't do much. My studio has stood pretty bare and has been waiting for me to come busting through the door. The tasks have seemed so overwhelming to me. So yesterday I posted a quote on my Facebook page that went something like this....* if i don't take one small step each day I'm going to be stuck in the same place year after year*. I posted it and it got me thinking to start a Facebook page called *One Small Step Each Day* to share with and encourage each other to take those little steps that can lead to big steps. You can join it here if you like.

Today..... I have managed to complete many small steps including getting my enamels into metal containers.

©manon doyle

A few days ago I ordered some beads and these were my favorites. Not sure where they're going to go yet but I'm sure I will come up with some ideas.

©manon doyle

I also fiddled with this sketch last week. I painted the background and I'm now thinking of light washes for the rest. Thanks, Anne!!!

©manon doyle

This was my first silver ring in my soldering class. I have another series of classes lined up so I'm very excited about that.

Small steps....yes. We all get stuck for one reason or another. Taking little leaps to accomplish our dreams and goals.... it's very gratifying!!! Do it!!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

my gratitude to you and a new start

2012-01-30T16:25:00.001-05:00

©manon doyle

My life has been pretty much a blur the last while. I am slowly returning...... at least....I hope that I am. My dad unexpectedly passed away while he and my mom were visiting me and my family over the Christmas holidays. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind words sent our way. One is never prepared for this. I've been looking at my ruby slipper snow globe each day because it reminds me of hope when I lose faith.

©manon doyle

On another note.... It's been a long time coming but I am now slowly setting up my new studio. These pics are just the beginning. Most of you know that I did glass mosaics for fifteen years and I have closed that chapter even though the gallery owner here in Scottsdale keeps trying to get me back in....lol. I have been taking a ton of classes in enameling and jewelry making and will continue to do so as this is a process. I will also keep painting on canvas since it's in my blood. : )

©manon doyle

I decided to use part of the garage as my studio. Torches and such are not a great idea inside the house.....yikes. I'm thinking of having a Solatube installed in the ceiling to drag even more natural light in. They are pretty cool.

©manon doyle

I checked into many options for shelving and with some advise I settled on Gladiator cabinets. I bought them at Lowes and I can add on if I feel I need more. They are sturdy workhorses and I'm pretty happy with them. I will keep you updated as this space evolves into my happy mess.

Btw..... my website is purposely down. I am coming back with a new one in the next couple of months where you can purchase my work.

I hope all is good with everyone!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

dry skin?

2011-11-01T19:29:00.001-04:00

©manon doyle

It's that time of year!!! It's the time of year when some of us start feeling a little like shedding snakes. My skin has been super dry here in Arizona and the humidifier just isn't doing the whole JOB. I love to use scrubs because they really do work. My favorites are the ones made with sugar. Last year my mom and I made this brown sugar scrub and I just loved it. Today I put a few jars together to have on hand.

You will need.........

- 1 cup dark brown sugar (if you don't want it too oily use more sugar)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can substitute other oils such as almond oil or vegetable oil.... I actually used vegy oil today)
- 2 tablespoons vitamin E oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- a container with a lid on it. I used mason jars but anything will do. Be careful not to drop anything that is glass in your bath or shower.

©manon doyle

Mix it all together!!! Smells so yummy!! I used more than four cups of sugar and adjusted my measurements because I needed to fill three mason jars. You can play around with this to get to something you like. Remember that when you go to use it you'll have to mix it a bit because it will definitely separate.

©manon doyle

Takes five minutes to make and works like a charm!!!

©manon doyle

This was on my morning walk yesterday!!! So pretty!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

I'm back!!!

2011-10-17T08:30:00.001-04:00

enameled forms
©manon doyle

It's been so long since I've blogged. I'm back.....: ))))!!! There's been so much going on!!! I'm in AZ and I'm taking a ton of classes. This past weekend I took another enameling class. This time it was a 3-D enameling class with Mary Chaduk. Mary was recommended to me by Barbara Minor and it was a fantastic class by a terrific artist. The class was at the Mesa Arts Center. It is a place that I am really impressed with.

These are some of the pieces I worked on this past weekend. I'm so excited to be learning all these new techniques. I hope to eventually incorporate my style in these enameled works.

©manon doyle

Ya gotta love this enameled red!!!

©manon doyle

Soldering class two weeks ago.

©manon doyle

Sawing class a week ago......LOL.

©manon doyle

So.... I had to throw in a sunset!!!! They make me so very happy!!!!!

©manon doyle

I also wanted to show a pic taken from my iPhone. That phone rocks!!! It's almost as good as my Canon Rebel.....yikes!!! lol

Thanks for coming back to take a look!!! I really appreciate you bearing with me!!!!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

falling free

2011-09-15T15:25:00.001-04:00

12" x 16" mixed media painting on cradled Gessobord
©manon doyle

All of my senses overthrown
By the might of your skin
And the lamplight on your cheek bone
Drawing me further in
No sentence I can speak
For the wonder so unique
Breaking like a wave upon the shore
Mercy me, I'm falling free
Since you opened up the door

See how the sky is made of sapphire
The colours flowing through our hands
The moon is fire in your hair
A million miles beyond what science understands
Smell that mountain heaven
I don't remember ever
Feeling like this before
Mercy me, I'm falling free
Since you opened up the door

And if every window pane should shatter
If every wall should fall apart
Well it might hurt a bit
But would it matter
This diamond in my heart
There's no need to nail it to the ground
There's no need to smother it with sense
Just listen to the rhythm of your heart
That pounds and trust it all to chance
'cause we're standing face to face
With the Angel of grace
And don't it just taste so pure

Mercy me, I'm falling free
Since you opened up the door

Falling Free by David Gray

I thought I had finished this painting but I wasn't really happy with her. She needed something so I decided to show the painting to my mom. She begged me to leave her alone so I knew that was my cue to add the cape........lol!!!! When I finished her my mom agreed. The painting needed a pop of color and the red cape seemed to be the answer. There are still a couple of things to finish on the dress but I thought I'd post her today.

fill your heart with art

~manon

friendship

2011-09-12T15:50:00.003-04:00

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper
©manon doyle

Friends are the angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
~author unknown

I've been thinking about all my friends lately. I have friends that have been in my life for many years, there are those I've reconnected with after a long absence, the ones I've recently made and the friends that I've met through blogging and Facebook. Omg....I am truly blessed!!! I take huge comfort in knowing that I have so many ears that will listen to me, support me and laugh at my stupid comments and jokes!!! I can only hope to be a great friend also. We are all on different journeys but we are bound together by friendship, love, hope and respect!! A big *THANKS* to all my awesome buddies!!! : )

fill your heart with art and friendship

~manon

new painting and an enameled necklace

2011-09-05T14:02:00.001-04:00

11" x 14" mixed media on cradled Gessobord
©manon doyle

©manon doyle

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
~Lao Tzu

I have quite a few paintings on the go and I'm bouncing around working on whatever suits me for the given moment. This is the one that has been on my easel the last few days. She was a paint over....go figure....lol. I liked what I had before but she feels better now. Even though I see a few things I could fix I'm calling her *done*. She actually looks much better in person. I can't get the right light to take a pic so she looks a little washed out. Anyway...lol..... I think I like this one! : ))

©barbara minor

I wanted to post the photo of the collaborative project we did in my enameling workshop at Haystack. Each of us enameled a leaf and then our teacher, Barbara Minor, put it together using rubber!! Pretty cool!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts

2011-08-29T13:08:00.005-04:00

©manon doyle

I just came back from a two week enameling class at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. OMG!!!! It was wonderful. There are so many pics to share and so many great things to say about the school and all the awesome people I met. I'm posting more photos than usual so I can give you a little glimpse of where I was.

The first image is of the stairs that links most of the studios and cabins together. It was quite breathtaking. Our enameling studio had a perfect view of the ocean. I now think I need to work daily by the water....lol

©manon doyle

This is my instructor, Barbara Minor, setting up the studio. If you ever have a chance to take a class from Barbara....jump all over it. She is talented beyond belief and a fabulous teacher. I cannot thank her enough for everything!!!

©manon doyle

Everyone worked hard and bonded as a group. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so much talent.

©manon doyle

If you needed time to reflect it was just around the corner!!! : )

©manon doyle

There were so many techniques to learn. These were three pieces that I etched. The next step was enameling......yay!!!

©manon doyle

Test samples of some of the pieces that I worked on.

©manon doyle

©manon doyle

On the Sunday we went gallery hopping around Deer Isle!! What inspiration!!

©manon doyle

This was a pic of our enameling studio. It was open 24 hours a day. If you couldn't sleep you were in luck!!!

©manon doyle

I made many new friends. I wish I had the pic of the whole class on lobster night by the water!!!

©manon doyle

What happens when you go to a workshop in Maine? You find a fellow Canadian who makes sure we all have wine:thirty everyday!!!! Oh wait......lol.....that might of been me!!!

©manon doyle

The glass blowers were awesome!! They made everyone on campus a class to take home with them!!!!

©manon doyle

Our last night was auction night. Wow!!! So many beautiful pieces of art to bid on!! It was a great night

©manon doyle

I got to show our class collaboration. It is made up of enameled leaves strung on rubber. I wish I had a close up!!!

©manon doyle

Kind of sad to leave. Thank you to all the friends I've met and to a place that inspires. I will never forget you Haystack.

fill your heart with art

~manon

working in my old journals

2011-08-10T15:00:00.005-04:00

journal page
©manon doyle

journal page
©manon doyle

journal page
©manon doyle

©manon doyle

The last few days I've decided to put aside my paintings and just play in my old journals. I usually like my 7" x 10" watercolor journals that are coated with gesso but these are in my Moleskins. I needed to change it up a bit. I do coat those pages with gesso also because they are not strong enough to hold up to my abuse on their own. My Moleskins are kind of falling apart but once in a while I come back to them because I adore each one.

I won't be posting for a couple of weeks but I hope to have some good pics from my enameling class in Maine!!! See you soon!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

August

2011-08-04T16:12:00.002-04:00

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper
©manon doyle

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.
~Celia Thaxter

©manon doyle

Is it August already? Seems like winter lasts an eternity and summer just whizzes by my very eyes. I am looking forward to mid August though. I will be attending a two week enameling class in Deer Isle, Maine at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. I love working with glass so painting glass on metal seems like a natural fit for me. I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm pretty stoked about going. The class begins on the 14th so I will get lots of pics and blog about it when I get back!!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

stripping away the makeup

2011-07-31T16:30:00.006-04:00

6" x 6" mixed media painting on Gessobord
©manon doyle

stripping away the makeup
looking for the real me
thought I saw her years ago
but discovered it was an illusion
the layers are deep
it's painful to clean
i hope to find strength
and my beauty within
stripping away the makeup
looking for the real me

fill your heart with art

-manon

insanity

2011-07-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

9" x 12" mixed media on Gessobord
©manon doyle

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
~Albert Einstein

6" x 6" mixed media painting on Gessobord
©manon doyle

©manon doyle

I've been taking my sweet old time with this one. I'm posting it as a *work in progress*

The quote about seems to be ringing true to me lately. I'm flippin' insane!! What does it mean when you repaint a painting over and over again? I don't mean taking out a new canvas and using the same subject. I'm actually throwing gesso on existing works and repainting things that no longer speak to me. I guess I could analyze this till I'm blue in the face and I'd probably come up with an answer something like ... I'm actually repainting myself.......yup......I'm a certifiable nutjob...lol. Lock me up and throw away the key or better yet.... get those paintings away from me. : ))

fill your heart with art

~manon

angelic

2011-07-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

16" x 16" mixed media on canvas
©manon doyle

"Kindness in words creates confidence; kindness in thinking creates profoundness;
kindness in giving creates love." ~ Lao Tzu

©manon doyle

fill your heart with art

~manon

out and about

2011-07-06T12:20:00.001-04:00

work in progress
©manon doyle

Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul - and you answer.
~Terri Guillemets

Ottawa, Canada
©manon doyle

I'm in Canada right now visiting with friends and family. My mom is overwhelmed with the amount of art supplies I brought with me.....yikes!!! I told her I needed to keep being somewhat creative.

the market
©manon doyle

In the Summer the market area is bustling with activity. I adore all the fresh produce that the farmers sell. There are many outdoor cafes to sit and watch all the happenings. It's so much fun to be out and about down here.....please say that line with a Canadian accent!!! : ))

©manon doyle

Canada love
©manon doyle

©manon doyle

"Life is like a new hat. You don't know if it suits you if you keep trying it on in front of your own mirror."
~Shirley McLaine.

I didn't buy it but I thought about it for quite awhile!! Wasn't sure when and if I'd wear it!! lol

©manon doyle

I saw this and had to take a pic!! It reminds me to *go for it* each day!!! : ))

fill your heart with art

~manon

my new painting and a book by Carmen Torbus

2011-06-27T13:49:00.001-04:00

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper
©manon doyle

"Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend."
~Elizabeth Gilbert

The Artist Unique

Carmen Torbus recently released her new book The Artist Unique. It is a wonderful book full of mixed media techniques and a ton of inspiration. The book also features many artists who are my blogger friends. I even have a couple of pages in there. : ))) Congrats to Carmen on her amazing book!!!

You can purchase The Artist Unique at Amazon.com. I highly recommend it!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

quotes for you

2011-06-22T15:00:00.007-04:00

7" x 10" mixed media
©manon doyle

Hope is the dream of a soul awake.
~french proverb

©manon doyle

The stars are the jewels of the night,
and perchance surpass anything which
day has to show.
~henry david thoreau

©manon doyle

Celebrate Summer - Sun drenched days and starlit nights.

©manon doyle

Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive.
~b. clough

©manon doyle

Like the sky opens after a rainy day we must open to ourselves.... Learn to love yourself for who you are and open so the world can see you shine.
~james poland

fill your heart with art

~manon

if at first it doesn't work....breathe

2011-06-06T11:39:00.001-04:00

10" x 13" mixed media painting on watercolor paper
©manon doyle

May the stars carry your sadness away,
May the flowers fill your heart with beauty,
May hope forever wipe away your tears,
And, above all, may silence make you strong.
~Chief Dan George

©manon doyle

I usually try not to fuss too much with my paintings. I just like to let them happen whether it be good, bad or indifferent. This one was a bit of an exception. I had intentions of making her blanket/coat pretty and bright but every time I looked at her in this way it wasn't working for me so I decided to take a bit of a breather. After an occasional quick peak over the last few weeks I felt that the coat should be plain and I should shift my focus to her face. She spoke to me in this way. I'm not quite sure if I'm done yet but she feels better already. : ))

fill your heart with art

~manon

beautiful tears

2011-05-26T14:20:00.003-04:00

9" x 12" mixed media on cradled Gessobord
©manon doyle

“She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short.”
~author unknown

detail
©manon doyle

I hope my family gets by now after all these tears I've painted that they are not all sad....lol!!! I've explained it a ton of times to them but my mother still gives me that *I'm not really sure about you* look...lol. In her defense she knows that I easily shed tears. I always have. She always tells me I'm the only one she ever met that can crack jokes while crying....lol. I guess the ability to feel and express emotion is a good thing. : ))

fill your heart with art

~manon

finished before they melted

2011-05-18T16:24:00.006-04:00

6" x 6" acrylic on Gessobord
©manon doyle

Unless your name ends in Baskin or Robbins, I really can't fit you into my schedule right now.
~u. swain

6" x 6" acrylic on Gessobord
©manon doyle

These less than thirty minute paintings are making me happy this week!! : )) I have to tell you that I feel like the Rachael Ray of the art world....LOL!!! She's got 30 Minute Meals and EVOO which translates to extra virgin olive oil and I've got 30 Minute Paintings and GESSO which equals HEAVEN!!!!! Anyway....the big brush is still going strong for now and I'm still feelin' it!!!

fill your heart with art and soft serve ice cream!!

~manon

just paint it!!!

2011-05-15T14:38:00.001-04:00

7" x 10" mixed media painting
©manon doyle

"You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind."
~zig ziglar

I decided to be set free this week.....lol. My idea was to use a big brush and not take more than thirty minutes on each of these.....well....the shoe may have taken longer but that was because I changed the background multiple times. Anyway.... I got out of my head for a change and it was a very pleasant vacation....lol. I need to start painting in this way more often. My next goal is to do one of my girls with a big brush and just go!!

6" x 6" mixed media painting on Gessobord
©manon doyle

6" x 6" mixed media painting on Gessobord
©manon doyle

fill your heart with art and big brushes

~manon

giving hearts

2011-05-08T14:09:00.001-04:00

7" x 10" mixed media
©manon doyle

“Today, see if you can stretch your heart and expand your love so that it touches not only those to whom you can give it easily, but also to those who need it so much" ~author unknown

6" x 6" mixed media on Gessobord
©manon doyle

I have this thing about painting hearts...lol. I thought I may have gotten over it by now but I love using them in many of my works. I've given all the heart paintings away. I like to share them. It makes me feel so full of joy to let someone know that they have a beautiful heart. So many of you do the most wonderful things on a daily basis and it truly inspires me. I hope that I will get around to giving you all hearts one day!! : ))

fill your heart with art

~manon

slowly returning

2011-04-19T11:35:00.004-04:00

7" x 10" mixed media painting
© manon doyle

in your eyes
the light the heat
in your eyes
I am complete
in your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
in your eyes
the resolution of all the fruitless searches
in your eyes
I see the light and the heat
in your eyes
oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
the heat I see in your eyes
~peter gabriel

Hey, ya'll!!! I am not back to regular blogging quite yet but I thought I'd post my latest painting to at least show that I was slowly starting to get something done.....lol. I've missed your blogs over the past month!!!! Can't wait to catch up and see what everyone is doing!!!

fill your heart with art

~manon

lovin' the sun

2011-03-03T16:50:00.012-05:00

7" x 10" mixed media journal page
©manon doyle

“A small key opens big doors."

I'm still out in AZ. This is the only thing I've accomplished.....lol...well.....that's not quite right because I did paint another 11" x 14" piece that I cannot share at this moment...lol...so...hey....I've done a lot....lol!!

©manon doyle

The weather has been beautiful except for one day when I woke up to a dusting of snow but it disappeared as soon as I sneezed! : )) I'm really enjoying the sun after all that cold weather up North this year!!
Sorry if I've missed a bunch of blogs. I will be coming to visit real soon because I miss ya'll!!

fill your heart with art

~manon