![]() 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
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![]() 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 ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() En plein air, a French phrase meaning “in the open air,” describes the process of painting a landscape outdoors. Artists venture into natural settings, to capture the play of light, colour, and atmosphere from nature. When I started back painting in 2020, often we would grab a couple of camping tables and sit in the backyard and paint our beautiful outlook. I forgot how much I loved being in fresh air, sun shining and being at one with nature. Last year I had planned to start running en plein air mornings in the local area. With personal illness and family matters, it went on the backburner, until now! After a few promptings from some of my classes, I realised now was the time to execute these monthly jaunts into nature. Funny, the website page had sat there for the best part of 12 months waiting for the right time. I am looking forward to the first one coming up in just a few weeks. The artwork above is from the day I went out and scouted around for some lovely scenery. Using a sketchbook, pencils and some Gouache I was able to capture the day in my sketchbook. The colours, the shadows and the feeling. It was wonderful to be there amongst the bird life, the chitter chattering and the different bugs that make ever so slight noise. Every now and the, the feet on sand of the runners would break the sounds of the bush. It is a fantastic experience and something I think is great to try. Any level of artist can enjoy a paint out in nature. You can take what is in front of you and put your spin on it, your interpretation of what you see. You don't have to have a swag of supplies, you can take minimal supplies or go all out. I have put together a comprehensive list of what you could take with you. Obviously, you can be as thrifty with your supplies as you wish. If you would like to take a look at the list and even join me you can find out more here. Do you do paint outs? What do you take as your essentials? Share below your best tips for en plein air supplies. ![]() To easel or not to easel, is the question today. When I got back into creating, I purchased a small desktop easel to hold my small canvases. It was good enough; I didn't know if I was going to continue the creative journey when everything when back to "normal" so I went with a cheap and cheerful option which suited me at the time. Within a few months, I realised the cheap and cheerful just wasn't cutting it, so ordered in a desktop easel which was so much better with larger canvases. I soon learnt I much preferred standing to paint than sitting. A few more months later during one of the breaks in lockdown, my gorgeous hubby came home with a studio easel for me. I love it and use it every day I am in the studio. It is sturdy, holds large canvasses and is now covered in paint, I think the paint gives it character. I found as my circumstances changed and also my painting style I needed a few different easels. My larger desktop easel is still on hand for when I am sitting at my desk and creating, my studio easel is a must and I have a few portable easels I use for open studios and displays. I have also been using the portable tripod to take to my art classes. The tripod easel I have been taking to various classes is great, yet it is bulky to leave in the boot of the car. I had been eyeing off on Amazon a tripod easel with a shelf etc. (pictured). So last week I ordered it, and it arrived 2 days later. I was pleased to see it fits in a small bag and is so light and versatile. I can now use it at my art classes, along with en plein air excursions and also painting demonstrations. You don't need to be like me and have multiple easels, pick one that suits your needs, ask yourself, will I be painting on paper or canvas? Will I be creating large or small pieces? Do I need to incorporate storage? Does it need to be portable? Can I leave it up or do I need to pack it away? Do I like working on an easel or on the table? What type of medium will I be using? Once you have answered these simple questions you will have a better understanding of your easel requirements. You can check out some of my favourite tools and a couple of easels. How do you like to work? Leave a comment below. ![]() A few years ago, I did a course on using a limited palette. I found it to be a stretch initially using just a few colours and black and white. So what is a limited palette? Imagine you're baking biscuits, but you only have a few ingredients in your pantry. A limited palette in art is like that, it's when you choose to work with only a small set of colours instead of having every colour available, just like having only a few ingredients for your biscuits. So, instead of using every colour in your art supplies kit, you might pick just three or four main colours, like red, blue, yellow, and maybe white. I also like to have black or Payne's Grey. With these colours, you can mix and blend them together to create all sorts of new and exciting colours. Working with a limited palette is a fun challenge. It helps you focus on learning how colours work together and how to mix them just right to get the shades you want. Plus, it can make your artwork look really harmonious and cohesive because all the colours are related to each other, just like all the ingredients in your biscuits work together to make them taste great! One of the main reasons I love to work with a limited palette, it makes me stretch myself with blending colours to get just what I need and want for a particular piece. The photo of a work in progress in this post is using a limited palette of cobalt blue, Payne's grey, cadmium yellow and burnt sienna with white for adjusting tones. Mixing colour with a limited palette is one of my favourite ways to paint. If you are just starting out, you can start with a few colours and mix your colours without buying every tube on the shelf! So, think of a limited palette as your artistic recipe. You might not have every colour in the world, but with a little mixing and experimenting, you can create something really special! You can find some of my favourite tools here If you have favourite colours you use in a limited palette, why not share them in the comments below. ![]() I am an all or nothing type of person. When I start a new hobby or project I seem to swamp myself with he must haves and a few might grabs. I can't help myself. There are a few essential items to have in your kit if you are planning to start creating. Instead of starting on canvases there is the option to start in sketchbooks/journals or pads. Not only is it cost effective, as someone that is starting our you are more likely to experiment and have fun than worry about wasting a canvas. A few quality pencils starting with a HB and then a range from 2H to 6B is a terrific starting point and often can be purchased in packs. A kneadable eraser and a rubber eraser are also ideal to have on hand. For those wanting to explore painting a basic brush set is indispensable. Include a variety of sizes and types such as filbert, round, flat to give you different brush strokes. A couple of palette knives are also a worth while investment. You can buy packs of brushes with a few palette knives to give you a reasonable variety of tools. Choose your medium, do you want to use watercolour, acrylics or gouache? Start with a basic colour palette of your chosen paint, this will inspire your to mix your colours and experiment. You can always upgrade the quality and colour range as you become more comfortable. You don't have to spend big on palettes and cups. I use recycled food jars for my water cups and a plastic palette. I also use a perfect for me size cardboard and tape greaseproof paper to it. This is perfect for acrylic paints and for watercolour I have an old plate. One tip I do have is try and work on a whit palette so you don't change the look of the colour you are mixing by the distraction of another colour or a pattern. The photo above is of my mixing palette using the greaseproof paper. Finally, learning resources are something to tap into. I run over 80 classes a year if you live near my studio or use the internet and check out some of the great resources on Youtube. There you have it, you can get creating on a small budget and enjoy the process. I have put together, my favourite tools as a starting point, if you are not sure where to start. Do you have your favourite tools you would like to share? Leave a comment below. ![]() I love painting, I love sketching and I love spending time in my art shed. As soon as hubby heads off for golf with his buddy's, I have whipped open the door of the studio before he has even reached the end of the driveway. There is something about having no one around, no distractions, no noise, nothing for me to even think about. I open my sketchbook and lose myself in the pages. sometimes I decide to use watercolour, other times acrylics or there are times I delve into the art supplies and enjoy the freedom of mixed media. There is no rhyme or reason to what medium I choose. Sometimes, I flit between sketchbooks, Just the other day, I went from sketchbook watercolour (the photo is the end result of my sketch book watercolour) to a canvas using bold vibrant colours with impasto medium. As one part dried I worked on the other. Can you believe three hours had passed by without me even knowing it. There is something said about immersing yourself in art. For me I go to a place where worries, sadness, hurt, frustration and negative thoughts don't live. This is a place that is void of negativity and a place where time stands still. This is a place that time forgot and peace exudes. Does art give you a happy place? Does art give you a sense of peace that can reinvigorate you and send you back into the world refreshed and positive? Leave your comments below and let me know what art does for you and if you can relate, ![]() In the art classes I run, I use photographs and artwork for students as inspiration. It is easier as a student to have a reference shot to learn techniques and to develop skills. So what if you are no longer a student and now creating your own artwork, can you still use reference shots? When you stumble upon a stunning artwork or photo that speaks to you, it can spark a flood of creative ideas. It might ignite your imagination, to assist you in developing your own unique creation. You may draw on elements of the reference be it the colours, composition, theme, or mark making and reshaping them through your eye and interpretation. When coming to creating your own artwork it is about making something that is uniquely your own. In the realm of creativity, using a photo or artwork for inspiration can be powerful as a reference for your own imaginative journey. It is about interpreting, reimagining, and creating something that has your stamp of style, voice and take on the piece. Personally, one of my favourite things to paint is flowers in vases. Whilst I may look at a van Gough for inspiration, for his use of light, colour and texture, I don't want to recreate his piece, I can do that with a photocopier or camera. I do however, want to look at his work and identify some of his prowess with the brush strokes, colour, texture and light, even seeing how I can incorporate some of his elements into my piece. Although imitation is the highest form of flattery, true creativity lies not in replication but in the ability to weave inspiration into something uniquely your own. No to mention, copyright laws. |
AuthorLee Cummins is a mixed media artist, workshop and art class facilitator. Archives
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