sunflowers and lessons

I finished the sunflower painting during the week - and couldn't decide if I would paint some of the sky in the background.

I left it until the next morning - planning to use my preliminary watercolour sketch to try it out. I liked the result and dove straight in to adding some intense blue to my main painting. But, about halfway through, I became very disappointed. As the paint dried, it was obvious to me that it didn't belong there. It took away from the detail in the flower and was very blunt and juvenile in application.

Taking a deep breath, I left it. Believing that there are no accidents (or coincidents) I thought about it and did what any modern girl would do... I googled it!!

Now, the interesting part of this story is that before I walked away from the painting, my daughter who was on the computer next to me, was playing a tune - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. That song always reminds me of my sister - she would sing it to my kids over the phone and at the airport the last time we left Australia. She would sing it to them in restaurants, not caring who would hear her, and she sang it to my baby boy, when we were in the hospice with her before she died. Hearing this song was like her hand on my shoulder, telling me the piece was beautiful, just not finished yet.

Anyway, what I found when I googled watercolour techniques, was a way to absorb some of the excess ink and distress the background, bringing the sunflower back to the foreground. Not my intended outcome - but I am happy with it now.

But more importantly for me, I found information about a technique that will help me in a painting I have been doing for my sister. Before she died, she wrote four books - and my brother and I would like to have them published. I will be doing the artwork for them, but have been stumped. A lack of time and a lack of confidence have left me with just ideas. But now that I am finally painting, those ideas are gathering steam and are becoming manifest.

The fact that the answer to my latest stumbling point came when I wasnt looking, with a sign from Angelique that all would be ok, well... it is another little miracle in my daily life. A little thing that was always there, but that you only appreciate if you stop, pay attention and look.

And this my friends, is the latest road in my artistic pursuits - an exploration of spirituality in my art, of miracles and of faith. I dont know what will come yet, but the ideas are bubbling to the surface.

Namaste

The prairie landscape

I was just reading a friend's blog and in it she explained how much she loved the prairie landscape, the spirit in the sky and the open plain and how for her, this was her religion. I heard her and smiled, for I have heard it before, from many of my friends, in love with this land. There is a magic here, I feel it and know that this is what led me here and holds me in this place. But I can not love this land. My heart belongs to another. And so I wanted to share with you, my love of the Australian landscape, especially of the mountains and eucalyptus trees of my home state, Victoria.

I love the colours in the trunks and the fluidity in the limbs of these ancient trees. I feel their souls and hear their song as the wind dances in their leaves. This land is my home, and every sense within me remembers and aches to be there.



This is how I imagine my prairie friends feel about their beautiful open skies. I wish I could take them all for a walk around Wilson's Prom or up in the Dandenongs.
Perhaps, one day.

In the meantime, some pictures to help...




These are all images from Wilsons Promontory - my favourite place on earth. The landscape changes as you walk through it - after five minutes you can be over a hill and the topography and plants have changed totally.

And these are images from the beautiful Dandenongs - the mountain range nearest to my childhood home. Twenty minutes drive takes me from suburbia to another world. Moist and cool and filled with giant tree ferns that are centuries old and snowgums that reach towards the sky.

I love this land.

Sunflower study

Here is the quick watercolour study I did of the sunflower. I am in love with it. I cant wait to make it bigger. I loved painting it = it was a grey overcast weekend and the yellow pallete just brightened the whole room.

And this week, my little people go back to school. I'm imagining the free time now - to create and paint and contemplate intuition.

sunflower inspiration

I just wanted to share - a photo of our neighbour's sunflower. It has some friends that have yet to bloom - I'm hoping the sun lasts long enough in this short prairie summer. (I say summer, but with the chilly mornings, I'm sure that the weather could be called autumnal).


And this is one of the preliminary sketches I've done - thinking that my penchant for swirly curls and freeflowing lines might work well with this subject. It was also absolutely gorgeous, sitting outside in the sun sketching from life.

And this is from my kids - I think it might be my favourite of the lot. There is nothing better than seeing their creations.

What I'm learning

It goes without saying that this artistic journey is a learning process. But I thought I'd share the insights I gained last night as I finished my latest painting in the chakra series.

In my latest work, as I completed the petals that lie on the outside of the chakras, I got more comfortable with letting the brush go where it would. I let my hand flow and move, reacting to the space that I had to work with and the feeling in the painting of where a line should go. The result - 'quite obviously' I say to myself - were petals that I liked better. I preferred their liquid lines and open flame like appearances. I enjoyed the freedom and courage it took to let the lines appear without planning their shape. And soon, rather than starting with an image that I had to work at to make appear before me, the image was coming, flowing to my mind before I lifted the brush. But not from my imagination - I was being shown what the petal would look like before it arrived.

In the self depricating style I feel I should assume (to balance the egotistical nuances inherent in writing a blog that is accessible to the world) I feel like I should have known this all along. DUH!!!

This blog is about intuition. Before I paint, I invoke the spirit of the universe to inspire my hand and flow through my brush. All of my favourite work is done when I let go and relinquish control. I just paint or draw or write... allowing without thought for the outcome. A freedom from self and an acceptance or allowance - a surrender - that's the right word - a surrender to the artistic spirit that is moving in me.

I'm struck that I have only just now recognised this - again I might add. For I know I have thought this before. Perhaps this time, I might just remember it!!

The dilemma of balance - lucky I'm a gemini!!

I just looked at my last post - the calling to paint- and I am fascinated that as I have spent the last week or so painting, I am now feeling the call of the energy work. I dream about it and wake up slowly, remembering the details, smiling at the intimacy of the message. Go out and share the energy, heal!

It seems my heart would do both, at the same time, with equal fervency. Of course, along with healer and artist, I am also mother to three small children and partner to a beautiful tall prairie man. So, it seems juggling will be the order of the day.

Ahhh, lucky I'm a gemini and the wearing of multiple hats is something I am familiar with - something I enjoy. Got to keep it interesting, right?

The paintbrushes are calling!

I've been concentrating on the energy work side of things for the past few days - and the running around business side of things. Business cards, lists of things to do - you know, all the background stuff. My first energy treatment was last night - and it was amazing. So much energy flowing - a very powerful experience.
I came home with a big grin on my face and I began writing in my journal - what I imagine will be the basis of my thesis work. My thoughts and inklings and questions about intuition. At the moment, I'm contemplating intuition and imagination. Closely linked - and perhaps imagination is a perfect tool for intuition to communicate with us. Or with me as I am discovering. Or is it more that imagination is the wrong term - the images I see when I do energy work look a lot like my own personal daydreams - but they are different. They are messages from the ether. I dont know - dont know if I will be able to answer that question. But the exciting thing is that I'm on the right road to find out.

But what I am enjoying today is an overwhelming desire to return to my art desk. I finished my last piece about week ago... and I just have to paint. My fingers are itching. Lucky it is a cooler day outside - perfect to hangout with my paints and pencils. mmmm. I love it when the desire to create is so strong it is nearly overflowing.

Let us see what pours out!

Namaste.