The biggest thing for me that I’m learning at the moment is to trust my skill. I have to believe that no matter what I do it will work out somehow. It may look like crud at some points, but if I keep going, I can make it work. I’m an artist, I can do this! (This is my mantra…and it is working :D).
It is so wonderful to have some sunny weather to paint in. Last weekend I grabbed my acrylics and set up on the back porch and threw together to beginnings of a randomish painting (mainly because the canvas I’m using has a thread pull in it and I had to wait for the other two I’d gessoed to dry). Didn’t know what I wanted to paint, I just slapped it down. It is wonderfully freeing, especially since the canvas was a dud one so it didn’t matter what I did to it, I couldn’t use it to make saleable art anyway.
I receive Tracey Fletcher King’s blog posts straight into my email inbox (they are so entertaining and arty, they are totally worth it :D) when I came across her entry for List it Tuesday. Ooh, a challenge I haven’t encountered before. So I wandered over to Artsyville and, cool, what a great idea. So instead of furthering my fire and jewels mosaic, I have been doodling in my art journal tonight.
It is final. It is complete (well, except for its second coat of varnish which I will do today). My first paper and jewels mosaic is done!
And I have my first face for 29 Faces! Started off as a quick sketch, but actually took me most of the day. Here is a pastel portrait of my youngest daughter, two and a half year old Izzy.
Earlier this year I was introduced to the concept of an art journal. I’ve kept sketchbooks of my work all my life, but art journalling is slightly different. In March I started a journal of my own. A simple cheap bound sketchbook that within its pages I have permission to royally stuff up with abandon. I’ve been using it to experiment with my watercolours of late and that is where you will find all the originals for my Life Inspired series. I’ve found it extremely liberating to have this place to just play. I’ve never painted in a sketchbook before. All my paintings have been big events where I have tried to create something that will grace a wall someday. I can’t tear pages out of this book.
I do have to apologise for this new Life Inspired cartoon. I couldn’t help myself.
