Experimenting

4 Comments Posted on 07/11/201508/11/2015 Creative expression, Menu

Table top

Here I am already. Thought I would leave my blog alone for a while;) A conversation with a dear friend (so lovely to talk to you Christo;) inspired me to come back and remain connected, even though online connection never will replace the richness of real, face-to-face connection with friends. I miss those connections immensely.

In the meantime, I just signed up into a new workshop, always stimulating and exciting.

Table top from Diane Culhane workshop is a short drawing and painting class which I’ve been wanting to do for some time.

Here’s my first take of my table top..

A messy table top, trying different combinations, and an empty coffee cup;).

I’m loving this experiment and am ready to try on a larger piece.

This one is another experiment, mixing techniques.
Even though this turned out very flat, I’m Loving the fact that I am now confident enough to try without following ‘rules’. It’s like baking a cake without following the recipe completely, making my own version of it;)

Now let’s try to be loose with the recipe !

Leave a comment Posted on 10/07/2015 Creative expression, Menu

happy

it’s my birthday today.
no big plans
a day off
painting
day dreaming
and walking

bliss

Acrylic on cardboard

2 Comments Posted on 24/03/201526/03/2015 Creative expression, Menu

something happened

This is what I’ve been working on recently and I must say, I have experienced the most exciting feeling with this technique.
Mixing colors, creating values, adding a touch here or there fascinate me.
It’s like painting through my intuition, without the use of rational or analytic thinking.
Something different happened..some sort of letting go…
a very excited moi!!on cardboard

mini paintings on paper

it looks messy and I love it

Can you tell I’m excited by this;)

Leave a comment Posted on 06/03/2015 Creative expression, Menu

limits

I know I have written about this before but it hit me again..

Through my creative experiments and learning, I’d like to think that I am always spontaneous, embracing things, learning from opportunities…
But clearly this is not true.

Learning new skills pushes us around, isn’t it? and as much as we want to learn, we also put boundaries, consciously or unconsciously, by fear of the unknown, by fear of meeting our own limits, our own flaws…

This concept can be applied in therapy as well.. I hear times to times clients who are crying for help but refusing to do the leap…terrified by the unknown, by what they could discover about themselves or by fear of seeing their protective walls falling apart. Sadly we won’t know what lives behind those walls until we decide to let them go.

Why am I rambling about this? with the start of Misty Mawn new online art class, I got to meet face to face with some of my limits again, the ones that I am putting to myself…and as much as it annoys me, it keeps happening… I feel a multitude of paintings within myself waiting to be created and yet, I feel blocked by my fear of failing, of not knowing how, judging my limited skills and so on…

This paradox won’t sustain as my desire to create is larger than my fear…but how do we push ourselves when we are stuck…what do you do when you feel yourself caught in this limbo? what strategies worked? How nice would it be to paint like a child, without expectation, being in the moment, fully embracing what is in front of us..

It reminds me this quote i read on Lisa Sonora‘s blog…paint like a dog goes after a bone.

So that’s what I will do…

Leave a comment Posted on 17/02/201516/02/2015 Creative expression, Menu

just try

When I started to seriously embrace my creativity 18 months ago, I knew very little about art supplies. Do you know for instance that you can paint on carboard? I love cardboard now…(merci Anne;)

It’s interesting actually how a cheap surface influences my process…I am more spontaneous, more daring, without thinking about the result, more about the experience or experiment!

My friend Lyn asked me what helped to tackle portraits and if I had any suggestion.. I’d say..just try!

Before starting this 100 Faces Challenge, I didn’t think I was good enough. I didn’t think I would dare showing up. And the fact is, there are many many more talented artists who are better at painting portraits. But here is another fact: I am enjoying it!!

I really loved Carla Sonheim online class DRAW. It definitely helped me to start with basic drawing skills, contour, blind, haiku and so on…

She delivers fun and interesting techniques in short videos, which are very accessible for all sorts!

My curiosity and desire took me places I never thought I would visit…

Leave a comment Posted on 26/06/201408/07/2014 Creative expression, Menu

always a story

it’s a story of life…
of getting lost so many times
with no compass, perhaps an old map
and on new hills, breathing too fast, but breathing

it’s a story of life
of learning and daring
wandering between the chaos and still waters
through the darkness of new shores, without light

it’s a story of life
of discovery and courage
it’s about daring greatly.

1 Comment Posted on 19/04/2014 Creative expression, Menu

on drawing

How amazing to discover, learn and explore a new ability or a new skill!! I have started this new drawing online course with Carla Sonheim – Draw! – and the first day assignment was to draw something unusual with your other hand, the non-dominant one! I was so skeptical of my ability to even do something presentable… and yet, what I discovered was a funky type of drawing, with interesting lines, which gave a real character to the subject.

What was even more fascinating to me was that trying to keep the looser line type while drawing with my good hand was not that easy. The result of the same subject drawn with my good hand was flat, a bit boring, less interesting.

Perhaps I should always draw with my wrong hand.

and then Haiku way drawing, seven lines only…

and blind drawing…

Love this!

and furthermore, this is a great learning… when you are so sure of not being able to do something, do it anyway…and see what happens!

Leave a comment Posted on 25/03/201419/04/2014 Creative expression, Menu

A process

The creative process is such an interesting one, certainly not a linear one…
Layers after layers, things keep appearing…

And disappearing.

With finally a sense of direction (after so many despairing moments). I sort of knew where it was going, without knowing at all!

As I’m trying to describe this process for this post, I find it difficult to put in sentence a five-week exercise of acrylic painting. Words aren’t the best option to describe the emotions in relation to creative expression.

Certainly my soul understood!

2 Comments Posted on 04/02/201422/02/2014 Creative expression, Menu

While I’m away..

I will be away a few days on holiday, visiting my husband’s family in Queensland. In the mean time, Bloom True course will start!!!!!!!! (& I’ll be so impatient to come back to start it)…

I feel very excited about this new adventure…

Here are few pics of my latest experiment. I tried lots of different things. I wanted to loosen up, not being so into erasing the little mistakes or sharp edges so much… Also a desire to try without being pressured… And staying spontaneous. The last thing was a real challenge: painting with black (the color of bravery apparently)! And not covering it up afterwards!!!! Well … It was harder than I thought and didn’t like it at all! And I did cover it up!

And a few new experiments…

sur le chemin du zigodor