Art is even more than meditation. It transfers us to a different place, it happens in a different dimension and it results in a completely different experience. Just like most of us, I need to shut off the world here and there: to recharge, regain energy and clean my internal vision.
Painting takes away from any troubles and transfers us into the work we are creating, into another dimension. It is totally possible to forget to eat, to forget what the weather outdoors is; what day it is and whether there are some urgent chores to be done. The funny thing is that everybody can get into it. I certainly would advise to experience a moment when everything else disappears, but art is all that matters.
“Love veggies” painting is available from studio and this website
Many subjects are available outdoors.
Ash berries or rowan berries, watercolor
Sunflower sketch
I also got better pictures of sunflower sketch and ash berries. I am in the middle of a creative uplifting swing. I hope it takes me somewhere to higher grounds. Thanks for reading!
Adding color to cool winter days feels right. Or a bit better than simply doing nothing. I was hoping to get done much more, but darkness is very restricting. Even though, I’m drawing and painting at electric light, that has impact also because color changes. Sensitive colors and shades change to a great extent in different light, and the only correct painting light for me is the daylight. I’m obviously experiencing shortage of it and using warm and bright colors to offset the shortage of natural light.
Colorful illusion of spring
As long as I remember myself, I never liked winter. I feel that I deserve way better than this freezing air and this wet snow or icy wind gusts from around the corner. I am not trying to get up when I should, and staying up much longer at night, that’s not helping. My productivity is down in winter and I find all kinds of excuses to justify the wasted time. It might be so that I’m completely dependent on seasonal cycles of the nature. I’m definitely a summer person, and darkness and cold are completely arguing with every living cell in my body. Well, I know, winter will pass, too, and painting in bright colors takes me to spring.
Spring tulips, 14.5 x 10.5 in or 36.5 x 26 cm
Art as a rescue medicine
My only rescue medicine is art. It’s impossible to imagine how I would survive these dark months without colors, paints, sketches, drawings, ideas and paintings! Thankfully, these things occupy my brain and mind completely taking into a meditative state of no reaction to surroundings, problems or issues. I believe art is the best way to fight these upsetting and lazy moods. The only times when I experience real flush of energy are before art classes, workshops and events. The opportunity to make canvas blossom gives me wings and I’m bursting with fresh ideas and suggestions. I’m very generous when it comes to sharing ideas and new knowledge.
Add color to your day
“Add color to your day” project is coming along, but not without a resistance. I will eventually figure out how to implement three 1.5 hour sessions during the week in order to use only watercolor paints, allowing them to flow, taking away bad emotions, and therefore these sessions will be providing people, who have similar winter moods, with positive energy and opportunity to overcome the situations they’ve stuck in. That might be health or relationships, or our own nature, it doesn’t matter what exactly. Color and art can cure everything, even people, who are unable to physically perform something difficult. New images for these sessions are on the way.
A little bit of warmth
To share with everybody a little bit of warmth, I’m attaching a few watercolors. These are layered watercolors without using masking fluid. For some images, we created pen outline drawing at first.
Winter watercolors
January watercolor in warm colors: we just kept adding different layers and glazing, and adding more and more of them. I know we should have used something like masking fluid, but there was no time to wait until everything is dry.
Pen and watercolor sketch of poppies: it’s cold outside, but painting in warm colors brightens up any place, any mood and any day.
I had not posted anything in a while, but I have new paintings on my easel. I was feeling quite terrible for a while, though. It seems the early fall weather with abnormal humidity and heat at first and with rains and storms afterwards had really got me. I was keeping my schedule to minimum: I gave all scheduled art classes since I did not want to disappoint my students, but that was about it.
I thought I would finish paintings which I started back in August, but that was not an achievable goal. While painting keeps pain at some moderate level, it was still difficult to stay on top of all tasks and duties which I had set for me.
It usually takes some time to recover completely, and my new website and initiation of the other lifestyle blog will have to wait for a better moment. Meanwhile, we have been working on some new projects. I have been doing some painting, too, regardless of all disturbing matters. I have nice frames for most of these paintings, and hopefully the final stage won’t take too long.
One more thing: when photographed, acrylic paintings do not look right. I am sometimes trying different camera settings, different light conditions, different distances and sizes. I have to admit that only very large acrylic paintings look close to their originals. It is sometimes very annoying because the photo sort of shows completely distinctive colors.
