Flow

Woodland Strawberries...a watercolor sketch

Arriving at "flow" in any activity is an optimum experience. Things seem effortless and pleasing. After finishing the strawberry jam card, I looked around for another subject..........woodland strawberries were climbing my rock garden so I thought I would have a look-see. After grabbing a bunch, I laid them on a piece of white paper on the picnic table. At first glance, the set-up seemed quite complex and the relationships tangled..........that is the kind of problem-solving that interests me. This subject was painted in a leather-bound watercolor book given to me by my son. All in all, I had a quality experience and a wonderful afternoon. Pressure's off in weekend painting.

Weekend Painter

Strawberry Jam...a watercolor sketch

Because I am a full-time painter, my weeks are spent, of course, painting, drawing and solving visual problems. I usually use my weekends to do other things as my mind needs a rest. But sometimes on a beautiful summer day, I crave the relaxing zen-like experience that painting provides. I get out my small travel watercolor set and smaller brushes and park my stuff on the patio. On these days, I paint simple objects, usually from the garden, with no set goal in mind. I paint without the feeling of being productive. Ahhhhhhhhh.....so very relaxing! The hours seem to fly. This weekend I painted a jar of strawberry jam as a thank you note for my friend Leta who generously gave it to us. Being a weekend painter is a good thing.