Beating the February blues

Violets - Acrylic painting by Paulina Ponsford

Good morning my friends,

Today is February 3rd, it’s a cold winter morning, and it’s still snowing outside! February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian (and Julian) calendar; it’s the shortest month of the year with only 28 days (unless it's a leap year in which case it will last another long cold day), it’s the only month of the calendar that can pass without a single full moon, the third and last month of meteorological month of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the third and final month of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and one of the coldest months of the year in Canada!

Feb has two western zodiac signs: Aquarius and Pisces, the stone for Feb is the beautiful amethyst, and the flowers of the month are the violet and the iris.

Living in a place that has such long, cold winters can be trying and draining not only physically but mentally as well. Many people battle the winter blues by participating in winter sports—not me, the cold weather is hard on my health, and I’m not athletic; but, I do love ballroom and Latin dance all year round—other people go away for a week or longer to warmer prairies—yes, I’m one of them!

Another way to keep your sanity is to do some Art Therapy— a creative discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression such as drawing, painting, or sculpting to help people express themselves artistically and the process helps to explore emotions, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem— an activity that I now practice daily. If you would like more information on Art Therapy, please send me a note, and I can write a post dedicated to this subject.

I have attached a link to a full painting tutorial of this beautiful composition of violets so you can also practice a little art therapy at home.

Some special days to look forward this February are Family Day (Mon Feb 17th)—a statutory holiday in Alberta and other provinces, Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th)—any day to indulge in chocolate and wine is a good day!

I hope you enjoy my painting tutorial and have a good February!