Started this blog to free myself but once again tied myself into knots, wondering 'should' I be posting this or that or wise words, or helpful tips. And I found myself paralyzed. So I took myself back to the blog that had inspired me all those years ago to start making art again. I had stumbled upon the blog of Geninne Zlatkis in 2007, before the days of instagram. It had given me a peek into her wonderful world of art making. In those days when one didn't have access to the inside world of an artist, I felt like I had opened a magic portal! Sometimes she shared tips and tools (I meticulously bought all the tools she had once listed as the ones she uses for her beautiful watercolor paintings of birds...perhaps hoping the tools would make my art as beautiful as hers.)
She's not only an amazing watercolor artist, she also hand carves stamps, embroiders, crochets, takes breathtaking photographs of her surroundings, writes books, journals, and has the most pleasing aesthetic when it comes to designing all the beautiful homes she has lived in. Geninne also has two boys and a dog. I remember how exciting it was so see someone whose life had so many similarities to mine (stay at home mom, 2 boys, dog, artist, desert dweller) who had so many passions and ways of expressing her art. It made me think that maybe I could have an art filled life too!
Here's a peek at the magic portal into Geninne's art life. You can also find her on instagram and facebook.
The blogpost with all the secret weapons , aka art materials.
To help get some clarity about my own blog I thought I'd go back to the blog that had inspired me. Looking back through her archive, I noticed that while she started off with one post a week, it moved to more frequent posts. Heavily visual and a snippet of her art and life through her lens. Very low on written content. Ah! Thats the key I needed. I try to make something in my studio most days...a tiny bit of work on work projects, some personal art, sketches, embroidery, or then some photos of things that feel lovely to me. And I think thats what I'd like this blog to be too. A little peek into the way I see my art and my world. Less wordy, unless I REALLY have something to say.
So heres a lot of words to say I'm leaning towards less words, more visuals! Here goes...
Because I almost owe this reawakening of my inner artist to her art and blog and the art materials she so generously shared, I want to share the first painting I did using those tools!
My mind was literally blown when I saw first hand how beautiful paper and good watercolors can really make such a huge difference to the quality of your art. A big lesson I haven't forgotten.
(though I can still be a bit cheap when it comes to brushes)
To make up for all the wordy parts of this post, here are some snippets of my day and art.
a little fun I'm having with colors and bugs. Acryla gouache on hot press paper.
eerie night clouds and sweet morning light. I want to bottle this light and this sweet moment .
The joy of meeting an old school friend after 33 years! She continues to be a good singer :)
Hope to see you soon with more pictures less words. Let's see how THAT goes! Also, I always welcome your thoughts and feedback! Have a lovely weekend. Hope you pause to see the light, the bugs, the clouds and take a deep breath.