New year, new little paintings!

I always find the end of the year a bit too hectic for my liking! In November I'm madly getting ready for the xmas craft fair, and once that's out of the way I have to think about xmas presents, putting the tree up, Kriskringles and xmas get togethers...this year I got the flu at the beginning of December and took weeks to really get over it, so xmas was pretty low key at my house (my kids are almost adults, so they didn't care as long as there was good food to eat!).

So thank goodness it's January, life goes at a slower pace now, and I can make time for some painting. I'm working on tiny 4x4 inch canvas boards, so far they are all of evening in the suburbs, based on the odd photos I take now and again - I go out to the washing line, or to water the garden at dusk, and notice the sky is doing something amazing, so I run inside to get my tablet and take a photo or 2. Most of the time the photos are not that great but they help me remember. I'm enjoying working with more reference material after previously working mostly from imagination/memory.

I hope your new year has got off to a good start. Thanks for dropping by :)

walk 13 around the neighbourhood

Not one walk but lots over the last month, I've been paying attention to people's gardens because I'm starting on some garden paintings...

and enjoying the park too. I've got lazy about carrying my camera, so haven't been posting my walks, but hope to get back on with the project soon!!

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.