Merry Christmas

I'm a couple days late, I know but I hope everyone had a truely magical Christmas filled with love and laughter.  Here is my last piece I have done for the year, I'm excited to see what the new year will bring and where I will take my art to next.

Xx

Christmas Time

I love Christmas, truely I do. I love the carols, the food, the decorations and lights. Most of all though I love the feeling of magic, that anything can happen at Christmas time. I was sitting in my lounge room looking at my Christmas tree this morning and felt compelled to paint just a little of that peaceful magical feeling I felt. So it's nothing special, but this is what came out and it was made with complete Christmas spirit.

Somehow I always end up back here...

Today I haven't been feeling well, suffering from a headache but I felt a little better this afternoon and before I know it I had done three really rough sketches with my charcoal. I'm very much into painting with acrylics at the moment but charcoal was definitely where this whole art obsession started for me. I remember as a teenager picking scenes from my favourite Disney movie to sketch and recreate (the little mermaid by the way... Another obsession of mine..). I always used to feel there was magic in my pencil or charcoal that helped me draw that little bit better then what I could actually draw. 

I don't use it nearly enough these days and I worry about getting out of practice and losing what little skill it is I have here, I must remember to not neglect it just because I'm excited over acrylics. As Anna Pavlova said "God gives talent. Work transforms talent into genius" and mine needs a lot of work! Anyway here is a peek at the three sketches I did today. 

First Term Ends...

So my first term of art class ended on Wednesday. It's been 10 weeks already! The time just went so quick, and I look back to where I was before I started and see where I am now and I'm amazed at the progress one can make in 10 weeks. I don't think I am necessarily this fabulous artist with strong technique and skill, but my cousin maiden century has definitely grown which has helped me attempt different pieces and methods that I would have been too scared to try before. I think with me so much of my own self progress is dependant on my confidence, if it's low then I don't practice as much or try to stretch myself, but when it's running high, I truly think I can try anything.

Paid today for my next term because I can't imagine stopping these classes now that I've just started and seen the transformation with my art and my self. Holding out now for October 14 for the first class of the next term.

Today was such a beautiful day and I am running on such a high that I thought I would do a happy summer piece, it's not perfect but I like it.

Sometimes it's an avocado

So I had yesterday off work, I took it off to try and get some painting in and to start a new piece for my art class. It was a beautiful day so I set everything up outside expecting to be extra inspired... And nothing. I tried to paint a few different things, the shed in the backyard, the blossoms on the tree, but nothing was working. So I packed everything up and just decided I would chalk it up to an off day and leave it at that. 

A couple of hours later I still was stewing over the fact that I hadn't accomplished anything and it felt like taking the day off from work was a waste, so I decided I'd try again. This time I set myself up inside at the table and ended up being inspired by a simple avocado.

I think I learnt that for me painting outside is good but I get distracted and can't focus enough on what I'm seeing and painting. 

But here is my avocado.

Portraits....

I recently started taking an evening art class to try and learn more technique and skill with my painting. On the first night my teacher asked us what we wanted out of the class and straight away I thought 'portraits', I want to learn to paint portraits. 

So for my second art project I've done just that and am currently tackling a portrait. I still have some work to do but it really has worked out better then what I could have imagined.

The big thing I've learnt with this is that colour mixing and shadows are what make the whole face. 

Here is my progress so far.

Back to the beginning

I was looking through my sketch book the other day and it made me realise that whilst I have fallen in love with painting, I had forgotten and discarded my first love; charcoal. 

So today I decided to pick up my charcoal (first time in over a year) and see what would happen... 

Honestly it wasn't pretty. I'm so rusty, I'd forgotten all technique and of course me being me I decided to try a sketch of a sleeping baby first up. None of this easing myself back in to it.... Needless to say the sleeping baby didn't quite work out and as you can see below I abandoned it half way through.

I decided then after that fail that I would try something a little easier, and because I have a love of dream catchers at the moment, that became my inspiration. It worked out ok for a fun sketch... But gee I guess it is true, if you don't practice to keep your skills polished you really do have to start from the beginning again....

Progress

I though I would share the progress I've made on my latest piece. It's still not where I want it to be and although the trees are looking better they don't feel or look quite right yet... I went on a walk this morning around Risdon Brook Dam and I found myself really looking at the trees, their colours and how those colours changed depending on the degree of light. I'm hoping that from studying nature in life it will help me find its beauty on canvas.

Anyway here it is... I hope you can see and like my progress. 

Something Different

I decided to challenge myself and try something a little different to the beach and flower themes I usally follow with my latest piece. I started scouring Pinterest photos to see if something could inspire and unlock an original idea for me. 

I already knew that I wanted to use different colours to the blues I normally use and was thinking about a tree but it wasn't until I came across a photo/ picture of a path surrounded by trees seen through a keyhole that an idea really started to form. 

My painting is by no means finished but I thought I would put up a progress shot so you can see where I am going and how different it really is to my other work. 

(And yes I know the trees need a LOT of work.... Not my specialty so I'm working on it!)

Crashing Waves

I recently went to my favourite spot in southern Tasmania, Southport. It's a small beachside town known for great fishing spots and it's beautiful beaches. I stayed here for three nights with my family over Easter and in that time went for a few walks to try and get some inspiration for another painting. I remember sitting by myself on the sand on one beach and just looking out and watching each wave roll in. I tried to watch for colour changes and where the light would come through the top of the wave right before it broke.

I took these thoughts and images and used them as an idea for this piece that I finished today.

I hope you like it.

Then it happens.....

Sometimes I don't feel inspired to paint or even sketch for months. I can try and force it but nothing ever eventuates if I'm not feeling creative or seeing images in my mind that I want to paint or draw.

These past 3 months have been like that. At one point I was house sitting for my Uncle at his place which is right on the beach and I still wasn't feeling my creativity spark. It didn't make sense because I was in this beautiful place and yet, nothing. I did try to sketch just see if it would come with some coaxing but it was to no avail. 

It's frustrating because sometimes all I want to do in the world is paint and when I can't because of no reason other than lack of inspiration it truly tests my patience.

As quickly as the block is there, it disappears without warning and suddenly the floodgates open and magic truly occurs.

This happened yesterday. After months of nothing after a visit to a beautiful beach with boats in the water it hit me. 

I hope you like how it came out.