Welcome, I'm Carole West.
An author and artist offering a destination about encouraging goodness!
But if we're going to be friends, I should begin by telling you a little about myself...
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, married an awesome Texan and homeschooled our kids. Then after years of moving my husband and I decided to settle in East Texas.
A great day for me is spent outdoors working to reach our goals. I also love gardening, creating in my art studio and canoeing on Caddo Lake.
I began writing early in life and drawing became my solitude long ago. Through many moves, I continued to write for fun until a friend introduced me to blogging.
After a few practice blogs, I launched Garden Up Green in 2014 and established a collaboration with Texas Home and Garden.
From there my first book was published and I freelanced for several national magazines. It was an amazing journey that kept me busy.
But doing the same thing became part of a routine that was less than inspiring, so in 2020 I shut it down.
In the years that followed I published two books, Ground Raised Quail and Garden Up Green. Both are resources that teach in addition to telling my story.
I learned so much in those 6 years and decided it was time to step back into my art.
Creativity & Encouragement
Through the encouragement of my husband, I signed up for some watercolor classes. Choosing this medium was about learning to relax and express a softer side of nature.
My approach became direct without sketching or drawing and I paint with a focus on water, pigment and paper. It has taken a while to find my style and with time a connection was made.
Strengthening and sharing my gifts has become the center of my attention. Gardening continues to be a favorite activity, and I returned to blogging with a message of encouraging goodness.
The following categories offer a variety of positive upbeat content.
- Good Art | Creativity and watercolors inspired by the outdoors.
- Good Gardening | Gardening activity, tips, workshops and resources.
- Good Notions | Living in the spirit and celebrating life.
Goodness in Celebrating Life
But I have to tell you, the expression of encouraging goodness wasn't something that happened overnight. It's been in the making most of my life through many ups and downs.
At some point, I decided to celebrate everything by sharing my gifts and through living in the spirit. Because through the obstacles and joys I found a life without Christ isn't living.
My wish for you is to recharge when reading and my hope is when you travel forward goodness will bloom. The best way to do that is by staying connected through my newsletter.
Always feel encouraged to leave comments and pick up my free garden collection guide. This tool will help take your garden to the next level.
Enjoy a beautiful day friend...
Carole West