This weekend I spent a good amount of time thinking about what I am going to give friends and family members for Christmas. As I am a lover of giving homemade gifts it is important that I start early in oder to finish everything in time. Last year I gave hats made out of felt, which were a big hit and in my opinion were adorable ( and super cool) but I am not sure they are used. So this year I am striving to make gifts that will be loved, but will not just sit in a closet. just sitting and thinking I came up with very little, so I went through my crafting supplies. I sorted, I examined my fabric, paper and piece and as it turned out not only do I have a lot to work with, but some great ideas.

freaking out

At the end of my allotted painting time this week I looked at the work that had been done and noticed I did something strange. I had put a paper border around the edge of the forest, and promptly freaked out. What had I done? Why did I just spend so much time on this border? Had I ruined the painting? After calming myself done I decided that it didn't look bad, and that the painting wasn't ruined, but just headed in a direction not yet traveled by my work.
It is important to reassure myself that new is a good thing. That using different colors than normal won't make the painting awful to look at, but in the grand scheme of my work will create more diversity, and will ultimately, hopefully lead to richer paintings. Really, I should not freak out, or worry when I am unsure of the work I have just done, because in the end, even if the painting is terrible diversity is not a bad thing.

in the studio

I no longer need to work in my room because my new house has space for a studio. This is very exciting, and the difference in the amount of work I am producing has increased greatly. I feel as though a vail has lifted. It is wonderful.

2009

The Groove

My favorite part of painting is the time after I have been working for about two hours. There is a moment when my hands start to work independently of me. I suppose it is called being "in the zone". This is the place where I create the best parts of my paintings. not to say I don't need my bairn, but I love when It feels as though my mind has is quite and I thinking about anything. I'm not even thinking about painting. I have been in the groove a lot lately, so hopefully I will post some finished work soon. I will at least post work in progress.