Whimsical Watercolour
Do we really need to be constantly pushing ourselves outside our comfort zone?
I really don't think so. Watercolour painting has given me the perfect opportunity to play with this idea of comfort zones. What applies to painting applies to life, it seems.
Painting little piglets in watercolour taught me a thing or two about attitude.
They showed me just what it might look like to approach everything with gusto, in the spirit of play!
Let me show you…
A little while ago I painted a series of tiny little birds and they got me thinking about the sort of big showy birds that usually get a lot of attention.
I thought they would be fun to paint with big splashes of bold colour - I was right - so much fun!
Dramatic Birds no 2 - Peacock (Watercolour on paper, 9"x12")
Spend some time observing these dramatic birds and before long you realise you are watching self confidence in action.
These birds seem to be like poster kids for self belief.
"Be your bold, dramatic self," they seem to say. "Stand out and show your plumage."
Dramatic Birds no 9 Helio Swan (Watercolour on paper, 9"x12")
We do spend a lot of time doing our best to fit in, to conform, at various times in our life. It can seem easier to try to just be the same as everyone else. Hide your differences to be left in peace to go about your business, rather than the pressure of standing out and being seen.
Dramatic Birds no 6 Peacock Tail (Watercolour on Paper, 9"x12")
But these glorious birds are a colourful reminder that there is value in being bold, standing in your power, letting your freak flag fly!
Just like the peacock with his magnificent tail, or the flamingo with its crazy colour.
Dramatic Birds no 8 On My Way! (Watercolour on Paper, 9"x12")
And then I started painting these birds together. A pair of flamingos... then a whole flock of them.
Dramatic Birds no 7 Flamingo Love (Watercolour on Paper, 9"x12")
That's when I realised that as much as we might think we are unique special snowflakes and perhaps try to hide that to fit in, it is inevitable that with so many people in the world there will be others just like you - no matter how different you feel.
Dramatic Birds no 5 Swan (Watercolour on Paper, 9"x12")
It is only when you are brave enough to show the parts of you that seem outrageous to you that you will find them.
Far better to be you and find your own flock than hide your true self to fit in to the one you happen to find yourself in.
Dramatic Birds no 10 Flamingo Party (Watercolour on Paper, 9"x12")
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
One of these might be helpful…
Do you need metallic watercolour paint? Well, need is a funny word… as in how many pairs of shoes does a woman ‘need’...?
It is much the same with art supplies. We don’t actually need that much. A loose watercolour painter really only needs…
How marvellous is it that looking at a picture can instantly change your mood?
The reason we love art is that it stirs an emotional reaction - it makes us feel something. An image can convey so much in an instant and each of us has our own unique response.
So how do you create a mood in your painting?
Let’s start with these 6 tips…
Looking for affordable watercolour paints that deliver professional results? Aren’t we all!
I just received a Meilang set of 36 Watercolour Tubes to review. I’ve been very curious to see how they compare to my existing palette of paints from renowned brands.
I want to know whether investing in expensive paints is truly necessary and I’m hoping to find some substitutes for beloved colours within this affordable set of watercolours.
You too? Well let’s dive in then!
I was rather uncharacteristically brave this month and leapt out of my comfort zone. Doing something a little different - even a little scary, is a way to shake things up and breath new life into old habits.
We stretch and grow at the edges of our comfort zones.
This is the first series I have ever done that does not begin with a pencil sketch. I began with paint and water and let the first washes dictate the way the painting would be. As it turned out this month, I had things both on and off the easel over which I have little or no control - don’t we all?
As always, art seems to mimic life. Or perhaps it is the other way around...
I have been feeling rather proud of myself for undertaking a whole month of direct painting. It is a great exercise. It forces you to see a subject in a painterly way - as a collection of coloured shapes. To pay attention to how those shapes relate to one another to judge their relative proportion and position, to build one on top of another until an image appears.
The first brush stroke is the hardest. But like starting anything new, it is best to just begin. Be bold. Let it unfold. With a pencil sketch you have the opportunity to erase and a line and make it right. With direct painting, for the most part, once the mark is made it is made.
That's not just the case in painting. Most of what we do in the world we can't undo. We have to continue to move forward because there is no going back. This is not a bad thing. Second guessing past decisions and wanting to undo them is pointless. No need to waste energy on the past, use it where it counts - in the present moment.
Each day is a new day. It begins with a clean slate. We cannot change what already is but we can build upon what is already there.
This month has also been a lesson in patience. Once the first washes are down you have to wait. You can't paint over the top of watercolour until it is dry. I really enjoyed coming to the studio in the morning to see what had happened to yesterday's washes and to see if today's eyes saw anything different in the painting compared to yesterday’s eyes. Since there is no going back or undoing much in this style of painting, it is better to take your time thinking about what mark will best bring out the subject you are starting to see on the paper.
It certainly requires a great degree of surrender and faith in the paint, the water and your ability to make something of what is there. It's rather like finding things in the clouds. There is a great freedom to splashing on those first few washes. So exciting to watch the paint and water work its magic. And a terrific lesson - the more you interfere the more you spoil the magic effects. It is better to trust the medium to do what it does best and blend and merge and flow in the best way possible. Now that's a life lesson too, I'm sure.
Much like life, you might start out with a plan - you take some sort of action. In the studio, it is choosing the paint colour, the brush stroke, or dropping on the water. In life, we make choices like stepping outside the front door, starting a new job, striking up a conversation with a stranger. But once we have taken that first action we have little or no control. It is time to see what happens next, to trust in ourselves that we will respond appropriately, handle what comes next and make the best of whatever may be.
Whether it is painting or life there is a balance to be sought between effort and surrender. Effort is required to begin anything. Thereafter we can find far greater ease and tranquility in our lives by accepting what we cannot control. Allow what will be to be - trust that the universe is unfolding as it should.
Let go.
Let it flow.
“Try something different. Surrender.”
Explore more of this series in the shop - come and see if your favourite still available.
One of these might be helpful…
Do you need metallic watercolour paint? Well, need is a funny word… as in how many pairs of shoes does a woman ‘need’...?
It is much the same with art supplies. We don’t actually need that much. A loose watercolour painter really only needs…
How marvellous is it that looking at a picture can instantly change your mood?
The reason we love art is that it stirs an emotional reaction - it makes us feel something. An image can convey so much in an instant and each of us has our own unique response.
So how do you create a mood in your painting?
Let’s start with these 6 tips…
Looking for affordable watercolour paints that deliver professional results? Aren’t we all!
I just received a Meilang set of 36 Watercolour Tubes to review. I’ve been very curious to see how they compare to my existing palette of paints from renowned brands.
I want to know whether investing in expensive paints is truly necessary and I’m hoping to find some substitutes for beloved colours within this affordable set of watercolours.
You too? Well let’s dive in then!
The first animal I wanted to paint this month was a happy little squirrel. I love their busy energy. I love the way the scamper so playfully about their business. Like all little animals they live so completely in the present.
They are fully focussed on what they are doing right now. They scamper up their trees, they bravely fetch a tasty morsel left on a park bench.
And all that they do is done in the spirit of play.
They don’t waste time or energy worrying whether their tree is as large and fancy as their neighbours. They don’t compare today’s weather with yesterday's. They don’t procrastinate, they just do.
There is a good reason why we are drawn to tiny little critters. We ‘aww’ when we see them in the park, we choose to keep them as pets.Part of it is the cute factor - everyone knows anything small is cute. But it is more than that. Watching a tiny little creature is a lesson in being present.
Look at this bunny. I can just imagine him on a dewy morning, enjoying the gentle breeze on his soft still fur. Sunlight glints off the tip of his nose and every blade of grass around him. The scent of a sweet daisy was irresistible and now he chews on the juicy stem savouring its taste and texture. His life is joyfully simple. So is ours, if we let it be so.
There is such wisdom in that. For if you surrender completely to the present moment you are liberated from guilt, shame and regret. These things are born of the past. Of course, reflecting on the past is not always a bad thing. Reviewing things that happened in the past and reflecting on how we responded to them is an opportunity to learn and grow. But it needs to be a temporary visit to the past. Whatever happened, happened. It is gone. What you have right now is really all there is.
If you are anxious, worried or afraid, you are focused on the future. What you feel is a message from your inner wise self. It is a reminder to consider if there is something you can do to prepare, some way that you can maximise an opportunity or event that is ahead of you. Consider it, acknowledge your inner wisdom for bringing it to your attention and then return to the present moment.
Trust yourself to deal with what will come when it comes. Take the action that you can right now and no more. Everything has its time.
Each day we have the chance to be just as busy, happy, playful and present as these little critters. All it takes is a little awareness. Try this.
Take a breath and use each of your senses in turn.
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What do you feel?
What can you taste?
Perhaps you are at work. What about the flowers that are on your desk - have you really looked at those velvety petals today? Can you detect their subtle fragrance mingling with the aroma of the tasty coffee you are sipping? Can you hear the clatter of your colleagues keyboards, the background hum of the air conditioner. Notice how soft your favourite cardigan feels against your skin.
All of this is takes just a moment but is worth so much to your well being.
Get in the habit of running through these five senses as often as you can. Set an alarm on your phone at random times during the day. Or whenever you feel yourself starting to worry or complain use that as a trigger to stop and be here, now.
Surrender to the current moment and you might just find that your shoulders lower, your breath slows and you have a peaceful smile. At the end of the day you will know that you have really lived the day. Just as it is.
Are you in the car with the kids?
What about that gorgeous tree on the corner that you drive past every day - did you see how lovely it looks today?
Feel the grooves in the moulding of the steering wheel under your fingers and the way the seat presses against your back. Inhale and catch a whiff of that salty, buttery popcorn that the kids are eating in the back of the car. Listen to their sweet, young voices laughing and singing together.
Ok. They are probably fighting. But before you yell at them to stop arguing and dropping popcorn on the floor calmly resolve their issues, take a moment to pause and savour the now.
Yes, even this. Noisy, healthy, argumentative children. It’s all part of today’s experience. Tomorrow it will be gone. So experience it to the full.
We live in a world of overstimulation. We have notifications beeping at us, technology puts just about everything we could wish for at our fingertips all at once.
Remembering what it is like to do only the task at hand with your full attention will bring a sense of relief.
Experiencing every aspect of the present moment will offer you the chance to gather the small joys of every single day before they disappear into yesterday. That is where real happiness lies.
One of these might be helpful…
Do you need metallic watercolour paint? Well, need is a funny word… as in how many pairs of shoes does a woman ‘need’...?
It is much the same with art supplies. We don’t actually need that much. A loose watercolour painter really only needs…
How marvellous is it that looking at a picture can instantly change your mood?
The reason we love art is that it stirs an emotional reaction - it makes us feel something. An image can convey so much in an instant and each of us has our own unique response.
So how do you create a mood in your painting?
Let’s start with these 6 tips…
Looking for affordable watercolour paints that deliver professional results? Aren’t we all!
I just received a Meilang set of 36 Watercolour Tubes to review. I’ve been very curious to see how they compare to my existing palette of paints from renowned brands.
I want to know whether investing in expensive paints is truly necessary and I’m hoping to find some substitutes for beloved colours within this affordable set of watercolours.
You too? Well let’s dive in then!
Have you ever spent some time watching little birds go about their business?
This could just be about the easiest lesson in mindfulness.
Everything the little bird does it does with all of its being. They are so earnest in everything that they do. All of their energy and attention is focused on the task at hand, and only that. That single point of focus makes them efficient and effective. It comes so effortlessly in the natural kingdom.
Creatures like birds know no other way to be. Any yet, we humans, apparently more evolved have lost this ease in life for the most part.
This I believe is the mindfulness lesson we can learn from out feathered friends.
It is not that they are not busy. Just like us they have multiple tasks, demands and needs. Watch a few little birds hopping about over the cafe pavement collecting crumbs. They so remind me of busy mums, bustling about the shopping mall.
They need a good chat. Domestic budgies require 'socialising' to remain in good health. Like their wild relatives nattering in the trees they need to talk to someone - just like us.
They need alone time too. Is there a more peaceful sight than a little bird sitting alone, surveying the world? There is such calm in their stillness. We can find that too, if we are prepared to just sit still for a moment.
When a bird goes to work, it shows us how it can be if you know your purpose and fulfil it with conviction. Take the kingfisher, for example. A bird like the kingfisher is a remarkably talented huntsman. Swift, yet quiet. Ruthless, yet graceful. He knows who he is and every fibre of his being carries out that purpose.
And of course, everyone needs a bit of love. We all need a hug at some point.
So just like us, our feathered friends lead busy lives with many roles. It is not that you need to be less busy to find peace and calm. It is not being busy that is the problem. It is not even having multiple roles that is an issue.
Stress does not come from having too many things to do in our lives. It comes from trying to do them all at once.
We can be friends, parents, partners, homemakers, high achieving career people, and zen-like loners.
We can be all these things we want to be.
We can complete the multiple tasks we assign to ourselves.
Just not at the same time.
Explore more bird and animal art here.
One of these might be helpful…
Do you need metallic watercolour paint? Well, need is a funny word… as in how many pairs of shoes does a woman ‘need’...?
It is much the same with art supplies. We don’t actually need that much. A loose watercolour painter really only needs…
How marvellous is it that looking at a picture can instantly change your mood?
The reason we love art is that it stirs an emotional reaction - it makes us feel something. An image can convey so much in an instant and each of us has our own unique response.
So how do you create a mood in your painting?
Let’s start with these 6 tips…
Looking for affordable watercolour paints that deliver professional results? Aren’t we all!
I just received a Meilang set of 36 Watercolour Tubes to review. I’ve been very curious to see how they compare to my existing palette of paints from renowned brands.
I want to know whether investing in expensive paints is truly necessary and I’m hoping to find some substitutes for beloved colours within this affordable set of watercolours.
You too? Well let’s dive in then!
I know we understand each other. It means I can talk freely about my online class addiction. Phew. So this month, I took another class with Miriam from the Inspiration Place. It was called 'Farm Animal Spirits'. I'm not sure I really got what Miriam meant by this initially. I was more than happy to just start painting cute little farm animal babies... like these adorable little balls of fluff
