Sunday 28 August 2016

On Angels Wings

"On Angels Wings"
Butterflies in Watercolour
 This painting is dedicated to Lynne. 

I always aim to make my workshop and watercolour courses as full of information as possible with the goal of inspiring every person who attends. But often the end result of each course is that I too am 100% inspired. I should be taking a break in between the two weeks courses I have running in UK at the moment but I can't. There is a positive inner energy inside me that has been untapped and it has to be freed. And so today I am painting.
During the courses this week I had many artists asking me specific questions on how I would approach painting certain subjects that they are experiencing difficulty with. This week sea and sky topics arose quite a few times. I gave my now very popular " one on one" demonstrations for one particular artist. Lynne, who has been coming to my courses since I first started teaching them. In fact Lynne was at my very first book signing at the Mall Galleries in London. Lynne hadn't seen me for a while and returned to a course this year for an injection of my enthusiasm. In her own right she is an excellent artist with so much talent. Lynne asked me to show her how I would approach painting a sea scene but the resource photograph, her own, that she was showing me had a fabulous sky. I demonstrated two sky approaches first, in watercolour, then showed how I would paint the sea. When the close of day arrived I loved one particular sky demonstration that I had painted on a thin long piece of paper.

I showed it to the class. I told the group of artists present that it was a special piece of paper and that it would be turned into a painting. I am keeping my promise by sharing what it has become. This morning when I looked at this gorgeous blue piece I knew exactly what it would be. And so two butterflies dancing have now appeared. There is a saying that if a butterfly lands on you, you have been touched by an angel. Hence my title " On Angels Wings" for this small painting.

The strange thing is. I see so many artists who over complicate painting. They worry about their results. They spend hours labouring over subject or creation they simply are not enjoying. Which is such a shame.

For me, each new day is an exciting challenge to paint something new and maybe something so simple that its' beauty lies in that. Its' simplicity.

Life doesn't have to be complicated.

Art doesn't have to be complicated.

And I think this piece demonstrates why so perfectly.

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Artists Tip:

 "Paint Yourself Calm" is a wonderful book for wash exercises that can be turned into beautiful simple paintings like this.

Read it and

1) Practise washes every day
2) Simplify!
3) Try something new in subject or colour techniques as often as possible
4) Stop long before you think you have finished your painting.

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I'm currently working form my latest book and loving the relaxed feeling I'm achieving when creating which is flowing into my art.



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