Day 11 woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It started off as a mishmash I thought was better in the trash. The background was three different colors, applied with a palette knife. Pure yuck. I painted the flowers next, with the influence of Bob Burridge. I failed miserably. I do not have a focal point in the bouquet. The arrangement is to blah.
I cut the vase out of a Shubert sheet of music. That was exciting. Should have been. But the acrylic that was meant to tint it, wound up covering most of it up. I decided to use watercolor over that. Dumb idea. It just puddled on the acrylic. It took painting over and over, using very thick watercolor. As it was drying, I took a tissue and blotted most of it off. Left a nice texture. In person, you can see more of the music notes.
I was still looking at an ugly background. I picked a color, and just covered it all up. Nice and clean. And not ugly. But man, was it plain. So I grabbed a texture sheet and added some ugly grey I had mixed. Hideous Grey. But it is a nice neutral here. Ha ha ha.
I will come back and rework this. Fix the lackluster flowers. And I will redo the line textures. I think the one to the right of the vase comes too far in from the edge. And I think two would have been enough. Maybe opposite corners, but not along the bottom.
Thoughts that I will continue to consider. This weekend I may have time to rework it.
Soul Art Day ( June 5th) with Laura Hollick is a day of creativity and connection. The insights from taking part in the process usually last long after the art has been created. This is from Laura:
Soul Art is a unique creative practice that uses art and creative expression to commune with spirit to awaken deep healing, soul-empowered insights, transformations, and high-vibe visions for your life and career. This is our annual event where thousands of people gather online from around the world to create art together for the day. as you’re journeying through your Soul Art process, know that you are held in the collective vortex of our Global Creative Soul Art Family. There is something deeply profound that happens when we collectively connect in this way. Even though we are each on our own journeys, our collective intention to create art on this day amplifies everyone’s creative power.
Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body. – Thich Nhat Hanh
The day starts with a video from Laura. Guiding you through the Soul Art worksheets. This is your journey, where you find your intention and action. There are five steps in this process. Intention, Bodymapping, Creative Expression, Insight, and Spirit action.
To warm up, I made marks on a 4 x 6 piece of paper. I used new paint markers. I am not familiar with them, so it was one small step out of my comfort zone. I planned on doing more of these, but I quickly felt limited by the small size.
Warming up with paint markers.
I mindlessly filled the paper with marks. When there was no more white to fill, I rotated the paper several times. Is it just me, or does that look like a fish?
Making marks.
A fish can symbolize fertility, feelings, creativity, rebirth, good luck, transformation, health, abundance, serenity, intelligence, happiness, strength, and endurance. Connecting us with the water element, it represents the deeper awareness of the unconsciousness or higher self. How serendipitous.
Angels are all around us, all the time, in the very air we breathe. – Elias Freeman
I laid out my palette on a butcher tray. Along with what you see, I included white, two blues and green. But this turned into an analogous theme. For my first layer, I took a comb with paint and just made a mess on the clean white sheet. Gone with the “paper is precious”.
Body mapping is often done with the artist, laying down, and having a friend outline their body. For my map, I used a watercolor pencil. I drew my lungs, esophagus, and stomach. The parts that need healing. These layers are under what is seen.
Throughout the day, Laura and her guest artists broadcast their progress in the studio. Watching them work, and listening to the meditative music, lulled me into a relaxed state. Standing, I painted until the sheet was filled.
My only goal for the day was to participate. To put a brush in my hands. I didn’t really think about what I was going to paint. When we post our piece in the Soul Art Gallery, Laura asks us several questions. My reply regarding insight was this:
“It has happened before. I am not sure the insight has revealed itself to me just yet. I have the painting propped up in full view. I’ll see what it reveals. I feel more myself, more whole, having spent the day creating. This piece is about flow. Free flowing, exchange. Breath. Breathing. Taking nourishment in. Energetic movement (while painting). Release. Repair. Prayer. Connection. Healing. Freedom. Independence.”
Inhale the future, exhale the past. – Author Unknown
Here’s a look at previous Soul Art pieces.
Awesome News!
My surgery is set for July 11th. 8 am. I have one more appointment with the surgeon and a class before then. This first surgery is to repair my esophagus. The procedure is basically the surgery that people have to lose weight. Bariatric. The class is on what to eat and what not to eat prior to surgery. I will have a second class after surgery as well.
I really like the surgeon. She explained everything very well. The image below shows a dilated and narrowing esophagus. In addition to that, my stomach stays open. The little flap doesn’t close normally. Because of this, I have GERD. And that is what has damaged my lungs. My surgery is more about removing the damaged part of the esophagus. The stomach will be brought up and reattached to it.
Damaged Esophagus
Next month is going to be a very good month indeed!
Made myself a challenge, knowing full well January might be busy. Not bad, managed to get thirteen paintings done for the month. The first two here, I painted for the Love Notes postcard swap. I forgot to scan the first card. So hey, that makes fourteen paintings! More I am sure, than I would have completed had I not tried for 30.
The table above, scanned much more red than the earth, clay tone that it actually is. I was unable to tweak it in Photoshop.
I apologize for the horrible photo below. This was a fun attempt at being loose after watching a video by Angela Fehr. I embellished with watercolor pencil and splatter.
The four pieces below are much too tight, and over worked. I tried again, with better results. (See the four above.) I learned that with Quinacridone Gold and Gold Green you have to take care so they do not become dirty and dark. Lesson #1.
Lesson #2 – for either of those colors to be rich and not neon, you must layer at least three washes. Think that qualifies as a conundrum. For me anyhow. Fun in the learning though 😉
I am holding myself to a 30 piece challenge this month as well. It may be several days of painting a series of pieces and not daily painting. I have two gifts to paint. Something different on the way. 😉
If I were to choose favorites, they would be #7 and #8.
