Hi Lisa,
I am working on activities from week 1 &2…slowly, but surely. I am really enjoying the freedom of working with texture and having my eyes closed. I am finding this is a lovely way to refocus and relax my energy as well as a very cool way to deepen my connection to the plants I have been working with. I am going to do some more of this work before moving onto week 3. Thanks so much for letting us have access to this course site after the class is over!
Yes I find closing my eyes so energizing, freeing and relaxing. There seems to be a great deal of earnest grasping associated with the eyes, such expectation especially when drawing and painting. When they are closed we can soften into connection with other senses, then the world and our experience has a freshness about it. I am so glad you are able to jump into the art encounters now!
For lesson 2 this week, I chose the right hand painting of my last post and used both water color pencils and black pen. I find this course painting (which I have never done before) wonderfully similar to meditation. I loose myself in it and love the “release” for lack of a better word from a busy mind. I am really enjoying simply putting paint/pencils on paper without needing to attempt a specific shape. I also am fascinated with how my mind is working with this new creative way of being.
Yes there is a truly contemplative quality to this practice that I have really put my energy into strengthening. It is this quality and the joy of release that have kept me painting for this long. I am so happy that you are able to access this!
Thanks so much for your feedback Lisa. Very helpful. Yes, I could have been clearer about my loon figure Here is a photo. It is 6″ long from beak tip to tail.
Another fascinating experience. I have never used water colors and after watching the video got myself all set up. I wet the paints as instructed and took my first swipe of my finger tips and was horrified to see all the colors had gone into each other, eg, yellow color on red little square of paint. I wondered if I ruined the paints. I need to google how to use water colors next Here is my attempt with a loon figure. I had a hard time connecting what my hand was feeling to what the other was painting. My head kept instructing about shape. I got a bit frustrated but am going to work with it. My paint box has the tiniest paint brush and I couldn’t control myself once my eyes were open to attempt the loon’s beak. How did others find this experience?
Hi Katherine,
I love the mix of colours in both these images. I am wondering if you can provide a bit more detail about what a “loon figure” is.
Not to worry at all about mixing the colours in your paint kit. That is only on the surface. In my humble opinion there is no “correct” way to use your paints, only the way that best serves you! They are in service to you. If colour gets a little mixed on top, you will still have lovely colours appear on the page. At the end of a session or part way through if you are disturbed by it, you can gently pat and clean them with a damp paper towel or baby wipe.
To keep the flow of connection moving maybe try focusing your full attention on the sensations in the hand that is exploring. If you are going slowly and both hands are moving in synchrony then you don’t need to really access the painting hand once there is paint on your fingertips. The painting hand is along for the ride. Your job is to stay in connection and trust your painting hand to track that on the page.
Adding small details, doing some brushwork is all good as long as it feels good! When I start to feel too heady or
in bossy planning mode I go back to eyes closed again….
Katherine your very strong can do attitude and sensitive self reflection will serve you well in painting.
Comments
Hi Lisa,
I am working on activities from week 1 &2…slowly, but surely. I am really enjoying the freedom of working with texture and having my eyes closed. I am finding this is a lovely way to refocus and relax my energy as well as a very cool way to deepen my connection to the plants I have been working with. I am going to do some more of this work before moving onto week 3. Thanks so much for letting us have access to this course site after the class is over!
Yes I find closing my eyes so energizing, freeing and relaxing. There seems to be a great deal of earnest grasping associated with the eyes, such expectation especially when drawing and painting. When they are closed we can soften into connection with other senses, then the world and our experience has a freshness about it. I am so glad you are able to jump into the art encounters now!
For lesson 2 this week, I chose the right hand painting of my last post and used both water color pencils and black pen. I find this course painting (which I have never done before) wonderfully similar to meditation. I loose myself in it and love the “release” for lack of a better word from a busy mind. I am really enjoying simply putting paint/pencils on paper without needing to attempt a specific shape. I also am fascinated with how my mind is working with this new creative way of being.
Yes there is a truly contemplative quality to this practice that I have really put my energy into strengthening. It is this quality and the joy of release that have kept me painting for this long. I am so happy that you are able to access this!
Thanks so much for your feedback Lisa. Very helpful. Yes, I could have been clearer about my loon figure
Here is a photo. It is 6″ long from beak tip to tail.
Another fascinating experience. I have never used water colors and after watching the video got myself all set up. I wet the paints as instructed and took my first swipe of my finger tips and was horrified to see all the colors had gone into each other, eg, yellow color on red little square of paint. I wondered if I ruined the paints. I need to google how to use water colors next
Here is my attempt with a loon figure. I had a hard time connecting what my hand was feeling to what the other was painting. My head kept instructing about shape. I got a bit frustrated but am going to work with it. My paint box has the tiniest paint brush and I couldn’t control myself once my eyes were open to attempt the loon’s beak. How did others find this experience?
Hi Katherine,
I love the mix of colours in both these images. I am wondering if you can provide a bit more detail about what a “loon figure” is.
Not to worry at all about mixing the colours in your paint kit. That is only on the surface. In my humble opinion there is no “correct” way to use your paints, only the way that best serves you! They are in service to you. If colour gets a little mixed on top, you will still have lovely colours appear on the page. At the end of a session or part way through if you are disturbed by it, you can gently pat and clean them with a damp paper towel or baby wipe.
To keep the flow of connection moving maybe try focusing your full attention on the sensations in the hand that is exploring. If you are going slowly and both hands are moving in synchrony then you don’t need to really access the painting hand once there is paint on your fingertips. The painting hand is along for the ride. Your job is to stay in connection and trust your painting hand to track that on the page.
Adding small details, doing some brushwork is all good as long as it feels good! When I start to feel too heady or
in bossy planning mode I go back to eyes closed again….
Katherine your very strong can do attitude and sensitive self reflection will serve you well in painting.
Thanks again for sharing.
Lisa