Watch me painting....

I love to paint abstract pieces, this one from last year show my process of building up layers. I love to see a painting appearing as if by magic on the page!

Its scary to start

Love this video from Andrea at the Creative Dream Incubator. The honesty of actually how scary it is to put yourself out there and it not working.

It is really hard to get started as an artist or a creative but you need to start, and do it one step at a time to make it work in the long run. This beginning period needs to be seen as a learning curve. There is no right and wrong here so try not to let your inner critic judge what you are doing and where you are going. It is a scary time but if you see each step as a lesson then you will start to learn how to do this and carve your own path.

Gorgeous greens as winter creeps in #5daysoflayers

I really enjoyed this week's project.  I still find it so strange that sometimes the commitment to creating another layer can be too much, like I don't want to move forward into this next phase, the next evolution  of the painting. My resistance always shows up at some point, questioning what I'm doing and if it's right to push forward. I find so many analogies to life in this process. I think that's part of why it's so addictive!  Anyway here are the layers for this week!

Layer 1= inky splodges

Layer 2 = doodles and details

Layer 3 = acrylic finger painting

Layer 4 = white gesso brayer

Layer 5 = oil pastel drawn highlights

Experimenting with expressive colour

I love to paint

One of my favourite things it just just let loose and spread loads of acrylic paint all over the page.

I get my hands dirty by using my fingers to spread the paint which really helps me connect and get a really fluid finish.

Even adding some white gesso can help lighten things up and I sometimes create a quick texture at the end by using the wrong end of a paintbrush to draw lines in the wet paint.....why not have a go?! :)

Zoe xx

 

New Project #5daysoflayers

So after a break from painting this summer (Ive been busy on my jewellery stall!) I have felt the pull back to painting and what better way to start than with a new project!

5 days of layers is really a quick daily exercise. By doing 10 minutes of painting each day it's a great daily practice to help get my creative muscles moving!  Each day I work on the same page spread in my journal just adding more depth and detail each day.

This is also a great practice for being brave and taking risks. Covering up bits that you like and seeing what unravels in return. It's also great to experiment   with colour combinations and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

What not give it a try yourself?  After all, it's just a page of your journal so if you don't like the outcome, it doesn't matter. And I promise you will learn lots along the way!

Happy painting!
Zoe xx

Painted backgrounds with fresh florals

I've been taking a break from painting over the last month or so whilst I focus on my sterling silver jewellery collection. I have recently really felt the urge to paint again. It feels like a nice break after constantly making jewellery, almost like a holiday to be painting again.

I did however have the usual quandary of what subject matter to paint.  I think I over think this sometimes, feeling like I should paint "a thing" when actually I'm just called to spread paint on paper and create colourful abstracts just for the pure Joy and freedom of painting!

This took an unexpected turn when I was suddenly inspired to layer some of the beautiful florals that are blooming in my garden at the moment on top of my paintings.  The final result of these beautiful natural compositions are so striking that I can feel a whole new series of work coming on.

Totem animals

I keep getting the calling to draw owls recently. An inner yearning that didn't make sense to me until I gave in to it and just painted, letting it free.

The outcome? A new phase in my work which uses the essence of animal representation as a reflection of human emotion.

The owl:
Elegant.  Graceful.  Silent.  Wise. An inner stillness that has pinpoint precision.  Time to dig deep and let the wisdom I find flourish, trusting where this intuition will lead me.

The Raven:

Transcend the old and soar to new heights.