New Painting

Here is a new watercolor I just finished.

Early Morning Instagram

The Sea

I've been spending a lot of time at the shore lately and have been working on some abstract watercolors inspired by the sea. Here are a couple of them.

Limits

"Telling yourself you have all the time in the world, all the money in the world, all the colors in the palette, anything you want - that just kills creativity."

-Jack White

This quote is so true. In art, the thought that you can make anything under the sun, is almost paralyzing. Sometimes, people need limits. It's like being out in the middle of a field and afraid to move, verses being on a path in the woods and able to walk for hours. When I was in art school, nothing sparked my imagination like an assignment. It was like solving a problem. I've seen it in my students as well. If you throw a bunch of art materials on the table and tell kids to make anything, they will soon grow bored and some won't be able to start at all. I've even had a kid crawl under the table once cause he couldn't handle all the freedom. (He was a particularly rigid case, but a great drawer). Anyway, I think this is an interesting aspect of human behavior. Today I'm going to put some limits on myself and see what happens.

iPhone Inspiration

Here are some photos I took with my iPhone of the water in my parents' back yard. Could inspire some new paintings.

Working...

Been working on some new ideas. I'm anxious to see where it leads to.

Improvement

I thought this design could use a little definition so I pulled an old art teacher trick and outlined everything in black ink. I think it looks better.

New Work

I've just finished a new watercolor piece. I'm kind of into it, I like the organic feel. I'm going to try a few variations and see what I come up with.

Unfinished Business

Here are some projects I've been working on.

More fish. The scales are made from patterned paper. It was pretty tedious to cut and glue them down (they are pretty small) and I'm not sure I'm in love with the result. The background needs to be lighter. I'm going to try that and see if my opinion changes.

Chinese paper lanterns always make me smile. I love something cheap and festive. I'm probably going to paint the background a deep blue.

A Little Fishy

  This is the latest thing I'm working on. The project is not so much about fish as it is about drawing the same thing over and over. I'll probably use a different subject in the next piece. 

Ever since I was little I've always liked to draw tiny things with tiny detail. When working so small you really have to concentrate on what you're doing so it's almost like a meditation. It relaxes me in a strange way.

Name For a Blog

I was thinking about what to call this blog last night, and this image popped into my head. 

It is the cover of a sketchbook I bought from an Etsy seller a few years ago. I had just discovered Etsy and was moved to purchase something. I liked the idea of a website where you could buy something handmade, directly from an artist. I liked the idea of owning something that was made with care in some one's home. So I humbly plopped down about three dollars and ordered this little book. Over the years this book has held a lot of important memories. I wrote my wedding vows in this book. I wrote thank you letters to friends and family. I planned the layout of my daughter's nursery. Lately I've been filling it with prayers for my baby. 

I wonder sometimes if the woman who made this book knew how precious it could be for someone else. As artists I think that sometimes we are unaware of how much our art can effect other people. Anyway, I thought that this book could be a bit of an inspiration for this blog so that is how I came up with the name. Hopefully this blog will encourage me to create art that may inspire someone else one day.