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.