I’ve not painted much since Christmas. I’ve been so busy this year with trips, senior class meetings and events, Bible Quizzing, and a book that I volunteered to edit for a recently deceased friend’s family.
However, today is stormy, I have a ton of laundry to do from this past weekend’s trip to Orlando for Bible Quizzing, and my daughter is in class for a few hours at the local community college.
Contemplating the situation, I made up my mind to finish a painting that I started a few weeks ago. As I rushed through my morning workout, I chanted to myself with excitement: “Today is the day!”
I can’t even begin to relay how therapeutic it feels to focus on a creative task like painting! I lose track of time while I concentrate on color nuances that either bring a brushstroke forward or send it backward in the picture. As I come to the finish line, I darken some of the values closer to the viewer and lighten some that should feel farther away.
Every painting is a learning experience for me, and I pray that the practice is bringing improvement!
Speaking of improvement, in January, I felt that urge again to paint something—ANYTHING! I follow Miss Mustard Seed’s blog and have often seen her copy a master just to learn something new.
I selected John Singer Sargent’s An Out-of-Doors Study from his Masterworks book that I received for Christmas a couple of years ago. He portray the gusty day through the movement of the grass around a man and a woman who’ve stopped their outdoor canoe adventure so that he can paint while she looks away, obviously bored.
I hope that I have not bored you with my thoughts on painting! Take time this week out of your busy schedule, if you can, to do something creative. It’s a great way to find inspiration for the everyday things that MUST get done.
