Simplicity

East Meets West

Chinese Inks on Watercolour

I am constantly meeting so many artists who are not enjoying painting. The challenges and goals they set themselves are so high that they load unecessary pressure onto their shoulders to succeed.

My time living in Asia taught me how to respect and enjoy moving my brush. My paintings could be simple compositions or complex.  But each brushstroke had to tell a story.

Looking at the snow outside it seemed only logical that at some point today I would place a layer of violet shades to portray what I was seeing from my window to depict the cold, icy weather. But a shrub with wonderful formations on the branches moved as  the light changed this afternoon. I painted what I saw using my Asian brushwork techniques and this simple movement had led me to a million ideas for further paintings.

Painting what we see,simply and when we see it is  such a great exercise to improve our sight, spontaneous interpretation and art.

I loved painting this piece.

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