Just this weekend, I was gifted a weekend to myself. Hubby headed off to a blokes weekend in the country and I had the house to myself. As our little fluffy mate passed away over three months ago, there was no one relying on me or waiting for me. I was as free as a bird to do as I pleased. The monthly paint-out had been postponed due to inclement weather. This had been my only commitment over the weekend. After heading out for some extra art supplies I headed back to my studio with the heater blasting and started on a project I had not had time to do for months. The panels I had purchased had sat there on my shelving teasing me every time I went into the art shed. They would look at me and I at them, wishing I had the time to take them off the shelf, unwrap them and then cover them with creamy delicious acrylic paint. I started slowly on my idea using paper and working on my idea for the eight panels. Suddenly two hours had slipped by as I worked on a small 20cm x 20cm piece. I was happy with the outcome. Finally, the next day I set up in the garden room with panels, paint, water, brushes, palettes and paper towels, I was ready. I could now start on my project giving it my full attention. Throughout the process, I mixed an array of colours, used a variety of mark-making tools and skimmed books for the right words to jump out at me for the collage. It was exhilarating, to say the least. I didn't stop for a coffee or a break, I was so focused and in my zone. After many hours, I was finished, it was time to sit back and let them dry so they could be varnished. The gift of a weekend to enjoy creating was invigorating, peaceful and filled with what I love to do. I think you need one of these weekends once and a while. How would you spend the gift of a weekend to yourself? Leave your comment below. Featured artwork: Unscaled Peaks and Uncharted Waters
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In the past, I have written about how creating art can have a positive impact on your mindset and overall emotional vitality. Art can evoke emotions in the creative with every mark made on the paper. We can get lost in the mood, and get carried away in our thoughts and the feelings behind every stroke of the brush, pen, or pencil. I remember with the loss of a family member in 2023, I locked myself in my studio and painted, remembering last words, lost memories and feeling bewildered and alone. The paintbrush and colours played on the panel as the tears streamed down my face. The emotions were raw, and the painting was just what I needed to do at the time. Sight, smell, sound and touch are senses that can trigger memories both good and challenging. I am sure you have heard a song on the radio, and it has transported you back to a time far, far away. A smell has taken you back to a family holiday by the beach, or the scent of a fragrance reminds you of your Mum. Art can evoke emotions as we view the finished piece, it can transport us back to a time once forgotten, a missed opportunity, a true love, or a person. Art can bring about tears of joy, tears of triumph or tears of loss. A friend of mine is an incredibly talented artist who, amongst other things immortalises on paper animals for those that have lost their pets. I am sure those artworks would spark emotions for the owner. Next time you are engaging with a piece of art, feel the emotion and enjoy the process. It truly is a blessing. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Featured Artwork: Down by the River When I picked up painting again, I went straight into acrylic paint. It was fun and forgiving and I enjoyed the medium. Over the last couple of years, I have taken lessons in watercolour, pastels and gouache. I love various mediums, given I do mixed media, that is a good thing! For the last twelve months, I have been enjoying the medium of gouache. So what is gouache, I hear you ask. Gouache is a water-based paint not dissimilar to watercolour, it is however, matte, opaque and creamy. Being similar to watercolour, it is more opaque, which means you can layer from dark to light and correct mistakes. I love how the medium quickly dries to a matte finish, making it ideal for photographing, and scanning for prints and doesn't have that shine. As I have been venturing out on en plein air excursions, gouache is an ideal medium to take out and about. It is compact enough for a small palette, dries reasonably quickly and can be activated with water. I enjoy being able to sketch and then paint while I am out, sometimes in my sketchbook and sometimes on watercolour paper. These en plein air paintings are then reference guides for future work. The fact I can paint in the colours of the day is ideal to capture the moment, the shadows, the highlights and the essence of the session. Although you can paint larger paintings using gouache, it is often associated with smaller works from an A3 - A5 painting. Smaller work on A3 to A5 is ideal when you have limited time and space, making gouache the perfect medium. The artwork you see here is a small artwork on paper using gouache. This was done with an initial light translucent wash and then layered with a more creamy gouache texture to give depth to the piece. Have you heard of gouache or do you use it? Leave your comments below, I would love to see your comments. Featured Artwork: The outback shed For most of my working career, I worked remotely. Mostly the companies were located in different states making remote work the most appropriate way to function. In 2020, many workers were forced into remote working along with school children. To me, this was my normal way to operate, whereas, for many, it was a new and untested way to operate. With the onset of remote working, remote learning also escalated, particularly in areas not exposed to online learning. Artists that predominately held in-person classes were forced to embrace the world of online to be able to make ends meet and continue their business. Suddenly, artists and art classes from overseas we once earned to attend in person, were now in our bedrooms, home office or kitchen table. All of a sudden online classes became the norm and in-person classes were a distant memory. Of course, now we have the opportunity to enjoy both. Whilst online classes offer time flexibility as many are pre-recorded on-demand classes and individually paced, does it deliver on community, collaboration, physical art materials, demonstration and guidance? In-person, classes tend to require more time and financial investment into your development than a short online course. However, some fabulous online courses allow you to learn new techniques and genres with little financial investment. It comes down to how disciplined you are to see it through. I feel there is a place for both growing and expanding as an artist. I don't mind an online course here and there, but I do love attending in-person events and courses more, due to the connections, collaborations and personalised attention. Which do you prefer online or in-person classes or do you mix it up and use both? Featured artwork: Morning Walk I know the saying well, "life gets in the way". Back in mid-March, we signed the papers to have some work done in our house. By most people’s reckoning it is small works which includes new flooring and painting throughout the house. I decided the following weekend to get a head start on culling what wasn’t needed anymore. I was going along quite well and then we headed to Perth for my dad’s special birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, both hubby and I got sick. Nevertheless, on our return we started the arduous task of packing up a house that we moved into seventeen years ago. Oh, boy! Enough of the scene setting………. Throughout this time, I mostly have only been able to create artwork at classes. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful I have this opportunity. Creating art in classes is very different to creating art on my own in my own space and mostly in silence. I enjoy the solitude and quiet time creating. Occasionally I may play a podcast or some quiet music but mostly I work in silence. I also can play and experiment, paint over explore colour options and develop ideas in my space. One final thing I have noticed is I miss that relaxation time. Life has certainly taken priority over the last few months and will continue to for at least another 5 weeks. I am missing my creating for me time, I do know it’s not too far away. Thank goodness for art classes, I get to enjoy creativity with a great bunch of people at the classes. As the work picks up in the house this week, I am hoping to pick up the paint brushes in my art shed and get the creativity flowing again. Have you had a time where life got in the way of your hobby, desire or plans? Share any strategies or your tips in the comments below.We would love to see them. Featured artwork: Waterside For as long as I can remember, I have always had a community around me. Growing up in a small outer suburb in WA, I belonged to the church youth group, at school I was part of the Rotary club for juniors. Being part of a community has always been important to me. I continued to build a community well into my adult life, including founding Connect Her Women's Business Network. A pesky little virus ended that prematurely. Community is where we come together to serve, through service, we then grow as individuals. It creates an opportunity to learn, teach, experiment, develop and well-being. There is a certain joy in sharing knowledge, learning from others, trying new things and opening up growth opportunities, whilst building new connections. Recently, I visited a new community of creatives. I was blown away by the diversity of artists, the acceptance of new people, the sharing of knowledge and the offering of genuine and authentic feedback. The artwork you see here came from a conversation at the beginning of the morning and led me to experiment on the day. It is completely different to what I normally produce, it was fun, it was exciting and most importantly, it was created in a safe environment. Communities can come in many forms from art classes, creative circles, and monthly paintouts to pizza and paint days. Belonging to a community and developing relationships with other creatives is a surefire way to grow and expand your skills. You never know what life brings! Do you belong to a community or would you like to be part of one? Comment below. At the time of writing, this morning was the monthly paint out on a cold, windy and drizzly morning. It would have been oh, so easy to snuggle up in bed and not venture out into the Melbourne Autumn weather. Yet, eight of us rugged up, packed up art supplies and made our way to the park and gathered under the rotunda. We all came with varying degrees of art kits, chairs, cushions and layers. For some it was the first time to paint en plein air, for others, it was a familiar way to spend a Saturday. We were all there for the enjoyment of spending some time to indulge in our love of creating, being outdoors and most importantly connecting with like-minded creatives. The monthly paint out sessions is not about who makes the prettiest work, the best kit or has the best skills, it is about the enjoyment of connection, and the people, it is about painting and creating too. I believe the biggest benefit of the monthly paint out is putting ourselves in the priority seat. It's great to take two hours once a month on a weekend to say hey everyone “I’m not available on this morning, this is my morning of meeting up and doing what I enjoy.” The pleasure that is derived from being in the fresh air, chatting with familiar friendly faces and losing yourself on the page of the sketchbook is so fulfilling. Sharing ideas, tips, and stories and finding out more about each other is building a new group of people to enjoy. As we pack up and finish our hot drinks, the chatter reaches a crescendo of last-minute info and well wishes until the next time we meet. We all head off back to our various tasks for the day, helping each other to take our bits and bobs to the car, and then off we go. And that is what meeting monthly and painting outdoors is all about, painting, people and priorities. Do you want to join us? It’s free and everyone is welcome. Visit here to register for the next one. "The stories of our mind, become the stories of our lives." I'll never forget this saying; from the CEO of a company, I was involved with a few years back. What we feed ourselves comes out in our skin, hair, nails and our figure. Yes, let me tell you, I have a sweet tooth and know if I give in to the chocolate cravings, the scales find out very quickly. So too is what we feed our brain. You know, the little nasty conversations we have with ourselves. Those snippets of useless information such as, I'm not good enough, no one will like this, I have no talent, I'm a fraud, I'm useless at this. Toxic conversations we have with ourselves. We would never talk to our best friend, family member or neighbour this way, yet we allow ourselves to participate in this one-way hurtful conversation. What if we turned the conversation on ourselves and spoke as though we were speaking to our nearest and dearest, replacing admonishment with praise? Hurt for joy, negative for positive, sadness for happiness? Imagine how we would feel about what we do in life. It doesn't matter if we're talking about creating art, gardening, writing or any matter of hobbies or tasks. Being kind to others starts with being kind to ourselves. Next time you are about to have a nasty conversation with yourself, take a breath and replace the negative chitty-chatter with a healthy dose of positivity and praise. You know you can change your story, it might just change your life. Do you have positive conversations with yourself? How do you stop negative self talk? Let us know in the comments below. As much as I would love to have hours and hours to sit and paint, the reality is, it just doesn't happen very often. Like many of us, to be able to paint for several hours in one go is a luxury and one that doesn't happen as often as I would like. With running art classes and an impending house renovation calling for attention, I manage to carve some time into my week to play in the sketchbook and lately creating mini landscapes. These landscapes are half an A4 size paper,or some are 20cm x 20cm. The paper has a luxurious feel as it is 100% cotton watercolour paper and is a pleasure to work on. Allowing myself an hour or so to work on a landscape or finish one off means I am still able to create for my art business. Most importantly, I continue to keep that creative muscle working. The joy of time carved out of a busy schedule helps to calm my mind, taking time to forget about what is happening around me, my to do list or anything else that pops up. Growing up, I had no idea my grandmother my dad's side was an artist. It wasn't until recent years I found out she worked with charcoals and watercolour. I now sit and wonder if this was her stress release from her busy life of being a nurse, mother and living on a poultry farm. Besides the escapism, the joy of honing my skills with watercolour and gouache on small works. You can see some of my current mini landscapes created during these times. Please feel free to leave a comment below. There are two phrases I love to use when creating. In the wise words of Bob Ross " making happy little accidents" and "Joy Fahey "now that's interesting". My artwork is quite loose and that is what I love to create. Loose works for me. Sometimes, what I see in my head is not necessarily what I create on the canvas. Instead of berating myself or going into the negative self talk I remember these two sayings. I may look at something I have just laid down and think now that's interesting. I can look at it, see if I can do something with it or paint over it. Or, I can look at it and think, now that is a happy little accident, I am so glad it happened. Often, art can bring up emotions which, in turn, become negative self talk. It can also take us back to a time when we weren't 'perfect' or we didn't do something the same as another person. It could even take you back to a time when you did art at school. It is different for everyone. What if we replaced negative self talk with these two phrases to look at our creative project or artwork with a different set of eyes? Now, that's interesting gives us so much scope to work with than, that's horrible. That's interesting opens up a world of possibilities to explore. Looking at a process faux par as a happy little accident changes it from a negative to a positive with an array of ideas and opportunities. It got me thinking what would it do to our outlook if expand these two fabulous phrases into our everyday life? Would it open up magical and exciting opportunities everywhere not just on the canvas? Do you like these phrases or do you have your own to change the dynamics of a situation? I can sit and while away hours lost in paint, brush and thoughts. Often, I get lost in the art, conjuring up stories or scenarios that fit with a scene. Take the piece pictured to the left. I imagined myself on this secluded beach, nestled in the rocks with a book, the sun glistening on my skin and the gentle lap of the ocean coming up to the shoreline. I transport myself to that place, if only for the time I am creating, even though it may be raining and windy outside. Some people create art for their pleasure, a form of relaxing, rejuvenation of the mind and soul and a pleasure entirely for themselves. There is no intention for the completed artwork, only for the moment. Hobbyist's create for the joy of a hobby that keeps them active, connected and enjoying their pursuits. Often,joining a group with likeminded creatives. There is also the part time or full time artist who creates art for not only the joy but for the purpose of selling their works. Some are creating for the purpose of their work to be hung in a gallery or museum. Ask yourself, am I creating this piece for: it to be in a museum? it to be in a gallery? to be sold? to hang on my wall at home? me to have no expectation? me to enjoy the time relaxing, having fun and forgetting what is going on in my life? There is no right or wrong to any of the reasons we create art. When I am in the studio or out an about creating, I don't have anyone in mind, I don't create with the intention to put the piece up for sale. I create for the joy, the experieince and the sheer enjoyment and pleasure of creating. I personally think, for me, it takes the pressue off, it allows you the freedom to explore, break the rules, have fun, create without expectation. If someone loves what I have created enough to purchase it, take it to their home and enjoy it, that is all I can ask for beyond my pleasure. Are you a creator or an admirer? Leave your comments below. Recently I was asked how many art classes I run. I totalled them up and this year it will be approximately 120 classes. I also attend classes weekly, sometimes if I can fit it in I will attend an extra class during the week. Being up the front and running a class is very different than being a participant, that's for sure. What I have learnt running the classes is everyone has their way of processing the reference they are replicating. Every person has their own style. You can have a room filled with ten people, all doing the same reference photo, yet, there are ten different interpretations. A part of the reason to factor in is experience. Art classes have a range of people with varying degrees of creating art. The main factor, I believe is our interpretation of the piece. There is no right or wrong, there is no good or bad. There is no perfect piece, there is no dreadful piece. When I sit as a student in an art class, I love the ability to learn from the teacher, experiment, practice and enjoy the process. Sometimes, my work at a class I would prefer to throw in the bin, yet I keep it to learn from it. I enjoy finding happy little accidents, solving problems and developing my skills for future work. I don't define myself by the work I produce in an art class. I do see from time to time, a person wanting to replicate the reference photo exactly, like a photocopy. They admonish themselves for not doing it correctly or right. Occasionally, there are silent tears and bright red faces as the person tries their hardest to find perfectionism in art. Emotions come to the surface of "I'm not good enough", "my art needs to be perfect", and "everyone else is better than me". Negative self-talk that serves no purpose and is definitely no good. Take Vincent van Gogh, one of the world's most renowned painters, yet he is synonymous with the term 'a tortured artist'. He died at the early age of 37 and sold only one painting. In ten years he produced almost 900 paintings and around 1100 works on paper. Sadly, Vincent didn't get to see how some of his works are the most expensive in the world, his art style laid the foundation for future artists and he was one of the most influential artists in the history of art. So, my biggest takeaway and advice if I may...... enjoy the class, learn the process, develop skills, use what you learn for future work and don't define your ability by what is done on the day. You do you, comparison kills creativity and joy. What are your thoughts on comparison and self-talk? Share your thoughts and leave a comment below. I remember years ago, I used to go to the hairdressers to get my hair streaked. Sitting in front of the mirror with the cap on, hair pulled through tiny holes sticking out everywhere, it was an ugly sight. (i'm giving my age away!) As I sat there waiting for the colour to develop I would put up with it knowing that when the cap came off, my colour would be vibrant and my hair would feel great. Of course, there were many steps to getting my hair from looking like I had put my finger in an electric socket to coiffed and ready to take on the world with my new hairdo. Can you relate? So often in art classes, I hear from the room many times, OMG, this is ugly, followed by a big sigh. Sometimes, I am asked for some more substrate to start again. The fact is nothing is beautiful during a process. Building a home, you start with an empty block, building on it and developing it over years to get it where it is today. Baking a cake or cooking your favourite dish, you wouldn't eat part of it during the process, it would taste awful without all the ingredients put through the process. The same is true when creating art. It is a process, artwork has many layers to it. Building on it, lovingly adding a brush mark here, a pen stroke there, mixing colours, adding subtracting, highlighting, toning down, mark making, pulling back. All of the different components make up the work. All artwork as with everything that has a process goes through an ugly stage. We wouldn't get up from the hairdresser chair and with the cap on and say "hey, this is ugly, I'm giving up on getting my hair done." or "Stop building my house, I wanted a landscape garden with a path to walk up to the front door, even though it's not there yet." Get my drift? Art work is the same, it takes time, patience, perseverance, vision and faith. Not every artwork will work out how you thought, it could work out even better. If you give up, or walk away and not go back to it you will never know and you will never learn. I find if I am stuck and not sure what to do, I walk away for a little while and come back, looking at it with new eyes, a new perspective. I work through what I need to do to take it from the ugly stage to developing it further. You never know you might just make your most perfect masterpiece if you work through the ugly stage. Does your artwork go through an ugly stage? How do you overcome it? Share your ideas and leave your comment below. The idea of every day being able to paint, create and live a stress free life is a picture of an idyllic world. My mind conjures up an art studio filled with canvases, paint brushes, old furniture and light streaming through an open window with a light breeze playing with the curtains that hang on either side. Ok, then I wake up to reality. Having an art business is not all art, there is so much more to running the business. Just like, any small business, you need to wear many hats throughout the day, week and month. Those hats vary from doing accounts, marketing, class planning, resource investigation, purchasing supplies, loading and unloading the car, driving to various venues, preparing and posting social media posts, writing blog posts and working with art class clients for the sessions. Boy, all this, plus more and I haven't even touched a paintbrush. I love all the moving parts that come with my art business, every day is varied and full of opposites. Creative to the mundane, silence and seclusion to chatter and people filled rooms. Generally, my week is dictated by my diary, where I will be, and what medium we are using in each class. My main priority is preparing for classes, I want to make sure I am prepared for each class, running over 120 classes a year takes a lot of organising. Once the classes are prepared, now I slot in all the other things on my to-do list. Some tasks are daily, some weekly and some monthly, it makes it easier to keep on top of all the little tasks that add up. I attend an art class myself, once a week, which helps me to keep developing my art. I also like to schedule my time to create and produce artwork for my open studios twice a year. Now, that is a whole other list. Being able to block out time to create is so important to me now more than ever. I get to create what I want, and what I love and take my time. I savour every minute that I get to work on a piece that takes my mood and uses the medium that speaks to me on the day. How do you prioritise your to do list to include creative time? Share your tips below in the comments. I remember as a small child the gift of a point and shoot camera, the type that had a flash cube click on top. Pocket money was saved up for the purchase of film and then developing. Being able to capture moments in time was thrilling to me. My love of photography continued into adult life when I completed a photography course which also had a component for dark room developing. Nowadays, we are so lucky to have a camera with us wherever we venture. Our phone can capture those moments in time. We can capture any exciting or beautiful inspiration right then and there. I take many photos when we are out and about. It may be the perfect rose bloom, an unusual colour combination, a bike leaning against an old fence, a cloudy sky, some shadows playing amongst trees or the reflection in a pond. If you look with art in mind, it is amazing you will find something for inspiration, everywhere. At the art classes I run, I am often asked, where do I find ideas for my artwork. The answer is everywhere. I take photos when I am out and about, I save photos from the web, I cut out photos from magazines that have a colour, texture or design that speaks to me. Found objects such as shells, twigs and leaves are a particular favourite. All of these combined offer me inspiration for creating a new piece of artwork. One piece or many pieces together may spark an idea for an artwork, sometimes it could be a single word that carries me away. Where do you find inspiration? Leave a comment below. |
AuthorLee Cummins is a mixed media artist, workshop and art class facilitator. Archives
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