Good habits!!

At the craft fair last month, I was chatting to a friend about how much (or little) artwork we're getting done! And about different friends we had who were on holiday at the time, and we knew they'd come back with sketchbooks jam packed with drawings. How do they do it?

When I went on holiday to England 4 years ago, I bought myself a special little sketchbook and pen...but did almost nothing, 4 little sketches that I thought were awful at the time, but treasure now and wish I'd done so many more.

So that's the first thing for me, to stop worrying whether it looks good - whether it looks like my friend's gorgeous sketchbook, and do it for the process as much as the result.

The second thing is to make it a habit, I'm already the kind of person who takes a sketchbook everywhere! Now I have to get into the habit of using it, even if there doesn't seem to be a real subject to draw. These sketches are a start to new good habits!

If you're in Darwin I hope you're enjoying the festival, we've been to 2 events (2 more than last year!). It was so lovely last night, to be at the botanical gardens at twilight, bumping into old friends, eating yummy food, and enjoying a free percussion performance.

back to painting

So last Friday I did sit down to do some painting. A bit daunting after a break of nearly 2 months!! I started small, on some tiny 4x4 inch canvases, finishing off one that I started months ago.

On the other two I worked on, I used a foam print to stamp one of my drawings onto the canvas and used that as a basis to paint on. One of trees, here's the foam print.

and here's the painting.

And one of a woman with a bird, here's the foam print.

and here's the painting still in progress, you can see the print on the canvas isn't as clear as it is on paper, but it gives some interesting textured effects to work with!

I'm still ploughing on with the Matisse biography - which makes me want to paint all the more! I was lying in bed the other night thinking even if I do a painting a week for the next 40 years (til I'm 89!!) it's only 2000 paintings, it doesn't sound like very much...I'd better get a move on!!