I would encourage you to meditate upon the squirrel…

I’ve been obsessing about squirrels of late, knowing that my encounters with them hold a deep meaning- one I haven’t really understood yet. In time. Meanwhile, I am head-over-heels in love with @this_girl_is_a_squirrel . I can’t stop looking at her IG feed. MUST DRAW. So I did. I would encourage you to meditate upon the…

Custom Hand-Drawn Pet Portraits.

If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. James Herriot To honour pets and to celebrate the joy we receive from them, I am offering 18″ x24″ pet portraits for only $57.00 CAD ($40 USD) Chinamarker and acrylic highlights…

Lessons from Pippi- strength, generosity and gentleness…

Being Swedish,Pippi Longstocking has been an icon to me all my life.  Yes, there are troubling racist elements in the books and, my God, as a child I would lay awake at night worrying about Pippi living alone, but Pippi’s character is glorious and hopeful.  She’s ahead of her time- a give-no-fucks attitude combined with curiosity…

Evolution of a portrait: “Calavera Kim”

           Hope is like a harebell, trembling from its birth, Love is like a rose, the joy of all the earth, Faith is like a lily, lifted high and white, Love is like a lovely rose, the world’s delight. Harebells and sweet lilies show a thornless growth, But the rose with all its thorns excels…

Portrait of the artist as a sugar skull: @julianlawrence

     Julian Lawrence TO ORDER YOUR CUSTOM PORTRAIT VISIT MY ETSY SHOP: YOUR PURCHASE HELPS ME PROVIDE SOCK MONKEY THERAPY FOR AT RISK YOUTH ON THE LOWER MAINLAND, BC, CANADA! Original art by Katarina Thorsen 18×24″ on newsprint in china marker Once you have placed your order, EMAIL YOUR PHOTOS TO britakatarina@gmail.com or on ETSY…

Owl wisdom

Taking a somewhat silent retreat today to regroup and prepare for transitions.  Picked up an old sweater (80% merino wool, 20% cashmere) and created these little one inch plus tall baby owls. Perfect for holding in the palm while figuring stuff out. I have always found that sewing and drawing owls is a powerful experience. Stay…

ART-INTERPRETED PERSONALIZED EMBROIDERED PORTRAITS- now available to order

   Portrait illustrated here of Ixquel Delaluna — ORDER YOUR ART-INTERPRETED PERSONALIZED EMBROIDERED PORTRAIT: ONLY $175 FOR 12″X17″ PORTRAIT (plus $20 shipping when using PayPal) HOW TO PAY: 1. Email transfer to britakatarina@gmail.com (save on shipping costs) 2. PAYPAL EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFO   

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No.10: Moomin Frida.

I’ve been celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I have been creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo (plus some additional posts here and there) in some form/medium or another. It may be a…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No. 9: Frida and the magpie portrait

I’ve been celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I have been creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo (plus some additional posts here and there) in some form/medium or another. It may be a…

Limited edition hand-embroidered print sale #graphicnovel

— I am making available 10 hand-embroidered prints entitled Who is it that can tell me who I am? featuring an original image from my graphic novel, Molly. —  — The print captures the moment a crow, the magician of the forest, adorned by a child’s skull as a crown, looks, with intense curiosity, into Lost Lagoon…

Pay attention to the birds: Part 6- Starling

Ah, the birds— and their delightful ways— this time of year in particular.  I just LOVE watching them! And I love when I feel something extra special in a particular moment that makes me stop and pay attention. The other day, I observed a flock of starlings.  I know many people call them rats, greasy…

Frida Kahlo handmade miracle sock doll.

I need a miracle.   Don’t we all have that sentence running through our minds at some point? Sometime we need to hold on to SOMETHING.  Like a doll. So… what would a miracle doll look like? So… I sew. The result: This Frida Kahlo Tehuana Headdress sock doll becomes a reminder to release and to stay…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No. 6: Sock doll in Tehuana headdress

 I’m celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I am creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo in some form/medium or another. It may be a drawing, an object, a doll, whatever… A surprise. I…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Frida No. 4: Frida and her Magic Cone of Truth

I’m celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I am creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo in some form/medium or another. It may be a drawing, an object, a doll, whatever… A surprise. I…

ART SCHOOL: Special HOW TO DRAW A PORTRAIT package

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. – Oscar Wilde Special HOW TO DRAW A PORTRAIT (in my style) home art school package- at special price for limited time!      LEARN AT YOUR OWN PACE! Package includes: 1. Introductory exercise to my drawing technique 2. 3-D…

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Art Blog Event. Frida No. 3: The Chakras

I’m celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo. — For 10 Tuesdays, I am creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo in some form/medium or another. It may be a drawing, an object, a doll, whatever… A surprise. I…

3 part Frida Kahlo interpretation.

At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can. – Frida Kahlo —         — Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away. – Frida Kahlo —   

What happens when you open yourself up? #journal #truth

April 28, 2015 What happens when you open yourself up and share some painful truths?  Say that you are with a (safe) person and the door opens to have the conversation. What happens first? The heart beats a little faster. And your breath gets more rapid and shallow. Perhaps the bile rises a bit in…

Inside Out Project Mountainside Secondary: own your journey

On September 30, 2014, I began my collaboration with Ian Powell at Mountainside Secondary on the INSIDE OUT PROJECT- OWN YOUR JOURNEY, inspired by my hero JR: MOUNTAINSIDE SECONDARY: Inside Out Project: Own Your Journey Youth-run initiative using the vehicle of portrait photography and street art to learn life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer…

A week of triggers and difficult conversations. And authenticity.

There were many triggers this week, both personally, professionally, and financially, that led to a multitude of emotions- most especially anxiety. Triggers that give rise to deep-rooted memories and default reactions. Anger directed at self. But I was delighted to find that I also defaulted to the “don’t know mind” technique and that I allowed…