Back to summer, it’s the creative journey.
After the Storm
I just got back from spending a relaxing weekend at the Jersey shore. While there, I read a book my son recommended that he had read for a college course, titled Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious by Timothy Wilson. I thought it was an interesting read, lots of studies cited about knowing oneself. The dichotomy of conscious vs. non conscious is discussed thoroughly.
Strangers to Ourselves
One point that struck me was in the chapter of what makes people happy. Many people, Mr. Wilson points out, think mega money will make you happy. However, studies of lottery winners have shown that lots of money truly does not provide happiness, rather annoyance and aggravation, and a detour from pleasures of everyday life. What is an activity that make people truly happy? One endeavor mentioned was enjoying the journey of making or creating something. I really need to remember this. I know too well that it is creating, making paintings, recipes, books, patterns, etc., etc. that give me so much joy. We all get bogged down in mundane meaningless tasks that seem sometimes to take over our life. It’s the creative journey, stupid, that is what makes us happy.
Read more at: Staying Free and Creative.
Inspiration Thursday: Seasons
Driving to my shop today in the spring snow, I was thinking how miraculous it is that our planet has the capability to wake up after a long winter and become spring! My son has planted seeds in small pots placed in our large window in anticipation of the spring planting. They are coming to life, waking up for a new season, right on time, how cool is that??
I do love the seasons and, of course, am ready for some new flowers to emerge to paint!
small flower
Read more at: Snowflakes.
Inspiration Thursday: Clayboards
I am getting ready to start painting again, yeah!! And I cannot wait to grab my new clayboards and start some new fresh floral watercolors. Here is a piece I did on this surface:
Red Lilies
Clayboard is what it sounds like, a surface made from fired clay with no glaze. When painting on it, it is fluid and free and holds bright and intense color!
I will take pictures of my new watercolors, hopefully next week!
Read more at: Green the Color.
Inspiration Thursday: Children
It is true, I write about my family a lot and how they mean so much to me. I have just spent almost 2 weeks with my children and grandchildren, on and off with everyone, and I must say, little children are so inspiring!
Hot Chocolate Fun
As adults, we have a tendency to spend lots of time fretting and worrying about responsibilities, work, social stuff, and on and on. But little children have a special way of seizing the moment. They really enjoy the moment. Wow, we are having hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream, how fun!!! They have little concept of time and do things according to their needs, I am hungry, so let’s eat, it is sunny outside, let’s play!!
Having a lollipop
Sitting on the sofa with my sister, having a lollipop, now that is fun!!
By the way, the images are not paintings, they are manipulated photos from my new cool apple app, Sketch Mee!
Read more at: Skies.
Wednesday’s Creative Tip: Paint it and it’s new
Last year I realized that one of my favorite coats for winter got paint on it from my studio. It wasn’t the smartest thing to wear it while carrying a wet oil, especially since it is a white coat, but the damage was done. I was thinking of giving it away since no matter what solution I tried, I could not get the stains out. Then my son suggested that I do my thing and paint over the stain blotches. Wow, why didn’t I think of that? So I got out my fabric paint, brushes and stamps and got to work.
close up
Now it looks like a coat for an artist. Good as new, and warm and comfy!!
Me with Jacket!
Don’t you love it?!!
Read more at: Passion.
Lacuna, Week Word
Lacuna, our week word, means “an unfilled space or interval; a gap”. What a great word. Giving meaning to the space around something, not just the main object. Think of all the spaces in our lives. As an extremely curious and always trying to read about something new and exciting in physics or art kind of person, space is just as meaningful as the subject at hand. There is dark matter around matter. It is the energy that is not matter and actually comprises more of the universe than matter, has tons of energy(tons being used loosely here since there is no unit of measure in dark matter as yet) and we really don’t know much about this mysterious force. There is the pause in music, the lifting of the bow between violin measures, the pausing of the baton when directing, the taking of a breath in between phrases. The space between stanzas of a poem. Personal space, that imaginary space between you and the person you are communicating with.
Then in painting, there is negative space. This is the space between objects of the painting. You need to make them as beautiful as the rest of the painting, mainly in a subtle way, but always complimenting the larger piece. For example, in my painting “Majolica and Citrus” I painted shadows in grays and purples, and created them in a painterly fashion to give a romantic pleasurable feel to the other pieces of the still life.
Majolica and Citrus
In “Fiddlin’ With Matisse”, I gave the background a pattern of colors to be reminiscent of Matisse and his Morocco inspired paintings.
Fiddlin' With Matisse
And finally, in my Gladiolas watercolor, I made the border around the flowers in a whimsical colorful pattern to highlight the center bouquet.
Gladiolas
All in all, I think the space around can be as interesting as what is within the main subject.
Read more at: Autumn Leaves.
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