Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life. –John Lubbock
My family is all together for the Holidays.
I have said in previous posts that painting brings me joy - it's cathartic, allows me to relax from my "type A" personality and let the paint flow while I adapt and find the happy mistakes within my art experiments to use to grow as an artist. It is also something I can do when I have time alone, which is often when my family often has their own things to do. But more wonderful than painting is having my family together. My eldest is home from university for two weeks and I have taken time off work to enjoy spending time together.
“It’s all about the quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family.” – Philip Green
My latest painting gallery "When the Snow Falls" reflects my excitement to be spending time with my first born as I prepared her room for her return - the room that I have been using as my painting space while she was away. Christmas decorations & small things she could do together replaced the painting corner as I tucked away most of my painting tools for the holiday season ready for other forms of happiness - baking together, playing board games, watching shows and time just to chat and share togetherness. The balance shifts and watercolour painting is on hold for the holidays.
After Decking the Halls, it's time to Paint the Walls!
It's odd. I can sit down and lay all sorts of colours onto a watercolour painting with no stress, enjoy the experiment and find new inspiring ideas but when it comes to choosing colours for the interior of my home, it's an undertaking of some magnitude (and cost!). Years ago we choose warm cinnamon brown tones for the upstairs, bright blues for the kitchen, forest greens for our bedroom and some mix of left over free paints for the basement. Now the walls are dinged up, multiple white patches are left where we had to fill in holes but never repainted and it's time for a fresh look on the house.
Finding a happy colour choice that meets with the families colour preferences is a whole new kind of creative process - and in a world where many houses are heading towards grey finding the balance between too much colour and too neutral reminds me of all the colour therory that I study and then throw out when I choose to paint expressionistic. Because, while my paintings can be as expressive as i wish, my house needs to reflect peace and togetherness. While my paintings I do for myself, my heart will always be for my family.
"One kind word can warm three winter months." -Japanese Proverb
While I snuggle up in my pj's with a cup of tea and spend time with loved ones this holiday instead of painting I will be thinking of each person who has inspired me to creativity, each kind word that has been expressed that has kept me on my path, and want each of you to know how much you mean to me.
Reading "Humming with happinesses" gladdened my heart.