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.

I'm running a competition through my facebook page as a thankyou for all the support I have received lately since going more public with sharing my Art.

Make sure you have a look and enter in for a chance to win one of the two canvas prints below.


https://www.facebook.com/ErinDockingART

Work in progress........

I thought I would show you the picture progress of my latest completed piece. With these pictures you can see how I move from one step to the next, and that although at the beginning it really doesn't look like much, the concept is there. Then through a little patience and time, it comes to be close to what I had pictured in my mind. 

You can see with this first picture that it really isn't all that much apart from a bit of colour blocking. I remember thinking at this point, would this even turn out how I want it, need it to be? It certainly here, looked nothing how I had imagined this wave to be. The basic shape was kind of there but the colour was all wrong.

The next week when I sat down to paint things took a turn for the better and I could feel it when I was bringing the brush to the canvas that I was starting to get the concept and that maybe it would turn out to something I could be proud of. The colour still wasn't right but it was getting closer.

Here with the finished picture the colour is almost how I wanted it to be... I thought maybe I could keep going to try and get it perfect but then would it ever really be perfect to me? I'm someone who will keep going and going and going, and before I know it, I've gone too far and I'm beginning to lose the essence of the idea. So I decided it was pretty close to how I had imagined it in my mind and that was good enough today. 

I guess what I wanted to do with this post is show my thought process and give a little understanding into what goes on with me when I start a piece. Sometimes after I have spent a few hours starting a piece I feel a little despondent that it doesn't start out looking like a finished product. I find that I really have to remind myself at times to take each piece step by step and not give up on it, because by persevering through something amazing can happen.

Colours Of The Ocean

I recently just finished probably what is now probably my favourite piece, a beautiful blue wave. 

Ever since I was little the ocean has always intrigued, frightened and excited me. 

Intrigued me because I could never fully comprehend the magnitude of life under the sea, frightened for the very same reason (and the idea of being eaten by a shark never helped..) and it has always excited me because of the incredible ever changing beauty. The way a wave crashes into shore, the beautiful array of colours on the fish and the way a sunset reflects on the water creating a small moment of perfection. 

I called it "Colours Of The Ocean"

I was so happy with this piece, which believe me doesn't happen often, so I entered it into my first art competition. I would love it if you like the piece if you could click on the link below and like the picture on the website.

http://faso.com/boldbrush/painting/73147

Business Cards!!

So exciting my very first lot of business cards arrived and I love them so much!! My talented friend Lauren helped me with them, and I truly appreciate her honesty as I was going to use a since charcoal sketch on them but she suggested my mermaid painting as the colours would pop more. She was right!! So special thanks to her and www.moo.com where we ordered them from.

Now I have to just start selling more work so I can give my cards out.....

Mermaids.........

Ever since I was a little girl I have always had this thing about mermaids. The little mermaid was my favourite movie and I wanted to be just like Ariel and have long red hair and a tail to swim in the ocean. My imagination was endless and when I closed my eyes and really thought about transforming into a mermaid I would almost make myself believe it was possible.

It was this love of mermaids that once again unlocked my imagination and inspired my latest painting. This time though I wanted to paint something with meaning and not to just a paint a pretty picture because I had drawn and painted mermaids before. I got the idea of darkness and light and incorporating a sense of hope. I know from my own life experiences that the expectations of society, and your very own insecurities and self doubt can keep you locked down and fighting for acceptance and the hope that things will one day be better.

My mermaid encompasses these struggles that we want to break free from and the need reach for something better. She wants so much to come out of the darkness and surround herself with the light of the world and everything good that it has to offer. She is about breaking those chains and striving for better. Recognising that we will fall from time to time but having the hope of getting up and trying again, constantly reaching for the light.

I hope you like her. She means a lot to me.

Commissioned Piece

I delivered my first commissioned piece this last week while traveling in New Zealand. It may have been an old friend that requested it but now I can say that I have my artwork hanging on someone's wall outside of Australia, which is such a big accomplishment for me. 

Obviously next time I'd love for it to be for a complete stranger... But I'm working on getting better so other people want my work..

Charcoal is my Poison.........

For as long as I can remember I have always enjoyed being creative. Drawing, scrapbooking, painting, the whole lot, I loved it. But I have always had this extra inclination to charcoal and sketching. I like the idea of being able to make a mistake and use that to make my drawing more authentic to who I am and perhaps to who I want to become.

Today was the first time I have picked up my charcoal pencil in so long, and yet it felt...... perfect. I have been trying to increase my skills in painting that my sketches for the last 6 months have fallen to the side. Today it felt like me again. I love paining too, but I truly feel at home with myself when putting charcoal to paper.

Todays sketch was not perfect, far from it. It was messy and full of mistakes and when I look at it now thats it's finished I want to change so much of it. But I won't, because to me its not about having a perfectly structured piece with all the proportions right and the shading spot on. Its about losing myself in it for the hour or so that it takes to do the piece. I always find I have a greater perspective after I have relaxed and let go.

And I did that today.

What Inspires me...........

I don't claim to be an amazing artist or even a good one. Pure and simple, Art is an outlet for me. Sometimes I don't paint or draw for weeks, I have tried in the past to sketch something or start a painting when my mind is full but I havent been able too; the end product has never looked good. For me my best work comes when I am free of my thoughts and feeling inspiration.


One thing I like to do when I am feeling all bottled up with the struggles of everyday life is go for a walk. Its amazing the clarity and inspiration that can come from being with nature. Just experiencing how the breeze blows against your face and the total calmness just breathing brings to my muddled up thoughts. I always find that when I get back from a walk my mind is cleared and I can suddenly see and feel my emotions clearer and then when I pick up some charcoal or a paint brush everything feels just right.


I like to look at other peoples work, and by that I don't necessarily mean the classics from Van Gogh - although that can be inspirational too - I actually like to search for work by people who are less well known. So many of my favourite pieces are from people with whom I don't even know there real name. Instagram, Youtube and Twitter are just a few places where I found pieces that have tugged on my emotional and creative side. Sometimes even more inspirational to me is when people put up a half done piece. You can see the work that they need to do to finish but more importantly you can see the work they've done, and the thought and the process they've gone through and that at times makes me feel more than looking at a finished piece.


One of my favourite quotes is by Duane Hanson:

"Art doesn't have to be pretty; it just has to be meaningful"

I agree with that wholeheartedly. Although I think that not every piece that I do is going to relate to everyone I hope that with each piece a person looking at it would be able to derive some sort of emotion from it.


Let me know what your thoughts are....