Life... Create Your Own Masterpiece!

By Christina Thoen

Prepare to be inspired and have your visual sense as well as your heart and mind enticed as Christina Thoen describes how to create the ultimate masterpiece your life! From gathering your materials to the finishing touches, this book is your guide to creating the life of your dreams. And the best part is you dont need to be an artist to get it. She explains how the elements of art and principles of composition used to create stunning artwork can be applied to explore and create a life of true happiness! Your world is a blank canvas and understanding how it all works gives you the freedom to create exactly what you want. This life is all yours to make the best that only YOU can!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Sep 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781452599458

Christina Thoen

About The Author: Christina Thoen (B.Ed., Art Major) Christina Thoen is an artist and teacher who is immersed daily instilling the love of art and life to students in her private Art School or creating masterpieces in her studio. She has been painting and selling her artwork for over 30 years. She lives with her husband Lorne in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. They have been married for over 27 years and have 3 boys who have started their own canvas of life!

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 Christina Thoen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-9944-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-9945-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015904496

Balboa Press rev. date: 08/19/2015

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Endorsements

Wow Christina! I just finished reading your book … it was so amazing! I loved the flow, the energy … it was definitely a feel good read. I was blubbering like a baby when I read the Saint Christopher story. I can hardly wait to see it in print with all of your beautiful paintings complementing it. I will be the first in line to buy copies to give to all of my friends!

—Mariana Sniezek, Registered nurse, Calgary, Alberta

Good morning, Christina. I read your book last night and this morning, and it is absolutely amazing. You are a true inspiration as an artist and author. I can’t wait to book a class that includes art and life lessons together.

—Bonnie Isaacson Marcoux, Life coach, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

With generous wisdom and positive energy, art principles such as balance, emphasis and proportion are illustrated with Christina’s vibrant paintings and infectious enthusiasm in a refreshingly concise & accessible gem of a book.

—Elisabeth Soderberg, singer/songwriter, Toronto, Ontario

About the Cover Art

Paris Spendor, acrylic painting, original size: 36 inches X 54 inches, 2010

This was painted soon after a trip to my favorite city in the world. I’m sure my love of Paris has to do with all the famous Impressionist artists who painted there in the past. The art culture is still so alive in Paris, and you can feel it in the air. The energy you feel taking a walk at night with all of the traffic and the people out on the street is exciting, and at the same time, it is warm and comforting. It’s a totally feel-good place for me.

Dedication & Acknowledgments

Dedicated to our children—Anthony, Nathan, and Quinten—Thank you for being a huge and very special part of my life’s masterpiece. You are the most amazing boys any parents could ever ask for and you teach us so much about life. You are so unique and perfectly yourselves. You make us so proud and we are super excited to see you create your own masterpieces! I wish you all the best in creating your own beautiful ones!

Special thanks to Mom and Dad. You gave me life and did your best in making me who I am today. Thank you for instilling and modeling empathy and giving. I am eternally grateful for your guidance, your love, and your unwavering belief in me.

To my sisters—Lis and Mariana—for being so much more than sisters. You are two of my best friends. I can share any secret with you and get advice from you. When we get together, we laugh so hard that our stomachs ache for days. I love that ache!

To all of the rest of my soul sisters—you know who you are! Thank you so much for being part of my life and for allowing me to be a part of yours. I love you all.

To my brother Kim for being with us for sixteen amazing years—and for teaching me so much about love and learning to live every day to its full. We know you’re doing great where you are, but we all still really miss you and can’t wait to see you again.

To my husband for being so wise, supportive, and loving. You tell me things I don’t always want to hear. You are my true soul mate and my best friend, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.

To God, I cannot thank you enough for your continual guidance and love.

sunkissed.jpg

Sun-Kissed, acrylic painting, original size: 20 x 40, 2007

Sun-Kissed was a spiritual painting for me. I was thinking of my children that day, and as I painted, a kiss appeared in the sky. Kisses are my signature as a parent. When our boys were little, I would always give them kisses and say, Lipstick alert! I would also kiss notes with lipstick before writing, Love, Mom. This painting definitely reminds me of how we’re being watched over from above and kissed every day!

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Preparation—Getting Your Materials and Supplies Ready to Begin!

Good Attitude—Positive

Healthy Balance—Mind/Body/Spirit

Plan—Working toward a Lifetime Plan

Preparation Exercises

Elements of Art

Step 1: Line and Shape—Drawing Out Your Subject

Step 2: Value and Color—Working on the Basic Colors and Light Source

Step 3: Texture and Space—Detailed Foreground & Fuzzy Background

Principles of Composition

Emphasis

Proportion

Balance

Movement

Rhythm/Repetition

Variety and Unity

Summary

Finishing Touches

About the Author

Preface

About fifteen years ago, I noticed something when I was teaching art classes. In my art school, I