☆ Botanicals Painting [Life Book 2014]

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Week 39 - Botanicals: Painting on Paper & Dry Media with Alena Hennessy

This was such a lovely lesson. I loved that this lesson was intuitive, but I didn't feel like I usually do when I paint intuitively.

Let me explain....

I know that mostly I do paint intuitively.

More often than not, I don't know what I will paint until I sit down. I don't know which colours I will use, or which materials I will use.

More often than not, I make decisions in the moment.

I do this instinctively.

Naturally.

BUT as soon as I stick a label on it, like 'intuitively' then I loose all confidence in the way I am painting.

Crazy right?

I suspect this is tied in with my inner bitch. And the fact that she has for 30ish years told me I am not an artist.

'You can't draw' she's told me. 'You can't paint' she's gloated. And now I suspect she is using an almost whisper as she tells me 'You can't paint intuitively'.

I loved Flora's lesson, but the whole time I was painting I felt uncomfortable. And the painting seemed forced. It didn't feel natural.

This one felt easy + it flowed.

I loved it.

I wonder where else, in my life, where I am struggling to break free of past behaviours, I would be more successful, if I was to relabel it!

What about you??

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☆ Intuitively Creating with Flora Bowley [Life Book}

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Week 38 - Brave Intuitive Painting with Flora Bowley

*no brushes needed* 

Well...

This was one of the hardest lessons I have ever done.

Not because it was technically difficult.

Not because the subject was hard.

Nope.

The reason I found this one of the hardest, is because I was accessing new ways of painting that I had never done before.

Using a range a tools, from potato stamps, flowers, feathers, and other items I found around the house, the pantry + the fridge I made marks.

Marks that had no real rhyme or reason.

Marks that were intuitive.

I had no idea that this would unleash my inner bitch + bring her to the front.

Every mark I made she has something to say.

Every time I added something new she had a comment,

I had to walk away several times...

And I realise that the reason my inner bitch was out to play, was because this was something I hadn't done before.

It felt foreign + uncomfortable.

So uncomfortable...

In the end, although I am not particularly fond of the painting, I love that it represents that I pushed past the doubt, the criticism + the fear.

I think I will need to make some more of these types of paintings, paintings that use my intuition.

I would love to be in a place that I could create with out the commentary of my inner bitch.

What about you? Are you comfortable with your intuition guiding you while creating, playing or living? Or does your inner bitch like to pop up + share her two cents?? I'd love to hear your stories.

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☆ Honouring my Inner World [Life Book 2014]

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 Week 19: Honouring Your Inner World with Danielle Daniel

Danielle Daniel took us through a beautiful class of honouring our inner world, painting with intention + with our heart.

And I loved how this turned out. I have been working on painting with my intuition lately, which is really difficult. 

Difficult because I usually have an end in mind when I paint, and when I try painting with my intuition, I have to stop half way through, because my inner bitch usually starts to come out to play.

But I am very happy with this one, and that little bitch? Well she stayed in her deep dark cave during this painting...

I am really happy with the peacefulness + playfulness of this piece.

So painting with my intuition, seems to be a bit of a theme this month [See here + here]. And so far I am enjoying the ride!

By the way - did you know I am having a HUGE give away? Open until June 4th, pop over here to enter. (Did I mention huge? A gift voucher, new postcards + gift tags are up for grabs!)

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☆ Creating Intuitively - part Deux [Friday Art]

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Week 22, May 2014

Last week I shared with you the painting that I was trying to paint intuitively, but that I ended up putting away for a while, because my inner bitch was surfacing,  and the paint was turning a muddy shade of brown.

I started again, on the face, whitening it up more, but I was feeling totally uninspired + put it away again!

So this is where I ended up with. The next day, I went back to my painting, and started painting her face. I kept the streaks + I realised that there was a cute little love heart earring type image, so I kept it too.

Using the muddy mess + a sharpie, I added to floral type element in the right hand corner.

I think this is finished now. I thought about adding a word, or phrase, but to be honest nothing did, or has sprung to mind.

I think I will leave it for now...

So when you intuitively paint, what is it in you that makes you say, 'I am done!'? I would love to hear what your thoughts are.

By the way - did you know I am having a HUGE give away? Open until June 4th, pop over here to enter. (Did I mention huge? A gift voucher, new postcards + gift tags are up for grabs!)

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☆ Painting with my Intuition [Friday Art]

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Week 21, May 2014

So this week, I decided to do an exercise in listening to my intuition, an experiment that wasn't a 100% successful, but one that I enjoyed all the same.

Using the base that I made last week, from my cool papers to use in your art work, from around the home, (you can see what I used here) I put some paint down over the top.

I really like this stage, I love the vibrant colours + lines in this picture. 

 A few spray inks, dribbled all over, a few more splashes of art.

Toning it down again, picking out a few patterns.

I've added a face, and not sure what is happening in the right hand corner... except that if I kept going, it would be mud.

So this is where I have left it for now, I didn't want to keep adding more paint. I didn't want to end up with a muddy mess.

And the reason that I said that it was less than successful, was because, at the beginning, I had totally tuned off both my inner bitch + my thought process. But by the end of the session, I was becoming critical + thinking ahead.

I felt I could do with some distance, so I have put it away for the weekend!

Do you intuitively paint? How do you turn off your inner bitch or your thought process while painting intuitively?

By the way - did you know I am having a HUGE give away? Open until June 4th, pop over here to enter. (Did I mention huge? A gift voucher, new postcards + gift tags are up for grabs!)

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☆ Catching up…. {LifeBook 2013}

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I have been spending the last couple of days catching up on the last of 2013's Lifebook lessons, before I dive into 2014.

Seeing the art that people are producing already in twenty fourteens classes, has me so inspired, but I promised myself that this year, (well last year now!) I would finish all the classes.

Because I gave birth to wee Beastie in January last year, I didn't start my life book classes until mid February, so I am still about 10 weeks behind. But this week, I finished off a couple of classes

 Week 34: Radical forgiveness by Tam Laporte. I am not ready to forgive some of my hurts, (I will get there one day!) but I found this so therapeutic for forgiving some of the things I am ready to let go. You may have seen the tree on my Facebook feed - in the lesson Tam used a printed tree, but my printer ran out of ink + I ran out of patience with dragging all three kids into + out of the car for the third time that day!!

Week 36: This was another lesson by Tam, about keeping mindful in our day to day lives and creating mindful art. I love the expression on this face of this one, it is so soft + peaceful. 

Week 37: Inkblot Butterfly with Kelly Hoernig Using a dictionary page with my word for 2013 [Release] as a background, we created acrylic ink spot butterflies on tracing paper. I love the effect of this + best of all Bean joined me on this lesson + loved it so much she is desperate to try another one. I will share her creation soon.

Week 38: Feeling + Healing with Erin Faith Allen. A simple + intuitive lesson, and while I am not sure I am as connected with this painting as I should have been, I love the simplicity of the piece.

So there you go. I have learnt several techniques that I have never used before which have been super interesting + I can't wait to use them again, I have played with my Bean in the studio + my creative soul is like a pig in mud.

A good start to 2014 I'd say. How has your year started? I hope it's been fab.

By the way, I have installed a new commenting system which may or may not make it easier to respond to your fabulous comments. I would love it if you said hi, but if you have any problems please let me know!

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