Brush in hand, gentle strokes, dip, wipe, repeat. The art of painting itself…

When painting I often find myself getting into a rhythm of sorts.  There is something cathartic about putting brush to paper or palette and letting go of expectations completely. I rediscovered painting with a dear friend and previous colleague. I saw her pictures of beautiful paintings via social media and I immediately became interested. I wanna do that! So we did!

When you visited last summer Debbie, I knew we had to go paint together. It was so much fun. And also funny. Looking back later upon my work I noticed how crooked certain things were and then I laughed at myself and thought, “There I go placing expectations upon my art, versus appreciating it for what I created.”

These reminders can be taken and applied into so many scenarios in life.

“There are no mistakes in art,” is what I like to tell students when they want a new paper, a new palette, a new this or that, when they experience the unconformability of creating visual art. I tell them how brave they can be if they push through and believe in their ability to create.

Our grandmother was a visual artist who blossomed later in life.

Perhaps if there was a fun term for inheriting art capabilities we could call ourselves that, Debbie. Such as, having a green thumb, or being ambidextrous or something or other. We both inherited visual capabilities and craftiness from mom and Grandma.

The idea of using one’s hands to create something from your imagination or an inspiration in life is essential to keep the spark of life alive. I love sitting down and even taking time to allow creativity to flow just for a few moments. Sometimes stopping your  to-do list in your brain, really being present in the moment in time can allow unexpected journeys to take place. I love when I stumble across an idea, or I draw a little sketch for a student. These are the moments to appreciate and celebrate. Small joys each day, help me to keep going and power through what can at times, be a daunting week or job filled hour.

Making time for this each day for art is essential. Even if it is appreciating a pretty picture on a calendar, or meme while scrolling a social media feed. Take time to look at art today and allow yourself to enjoy those subtle moments in time. We are Renaissance women aren’t we. Putting our arts together collectively to share and create. I love you big sister! xoxo