painting and mid-year resolutions - 48 hours and still on track !!

Thursday I announced in a most fool hardy manner my mid-year resolutions - well guess what ?!  48 hours later  and I'm still on track !!  Well almost .....

Thank you for all those who expressed concern that I may stop blogging - you really are the sweetest.  My intention is to blog as before, each day, but to use my time more efficiently.  So,  for those who are interested

1. YES I have cycled each day (we are only talking about two days after all!)


2. NO I haven't ridden my horse yet, but it has been pouring with rain


3. YES I have spent more time en famille


4. and NO, unfortunately the novel isn't finished yet, but maybe that was a little optimistic  totally unrealistic   sigh ..........


5. AND I had the huge pleasure of dusting off my easel and spending a couple of hours painting

I'm not a painter, I have no training or expertise, but I do love to sit in front of an easel.  Transferring colours from a palette to a canvas is quite hypnotic.

I only paint in the summer.  Firstly because I love working outside, but more importantly because I am so messy when I work that  painting indoors is way too dangerous!

Some people's art is produced with a camera.  When Julie of Being Ruby came to stay with us a few weeks ago, she kindly gifted me several of her photos.  Lucky me!  I adore her pictures, her sense of composition and her talent for reworking them so they become painterly.

 

I particularly loved this beach picture, and inspired myself by it when painting yesterday.    It sort of feels as if I'm cheating to paint from a photo, but it is very relaxing, rather like using those painting by number cards we all played with as kids.

I didn't really achieve Julie's wonderful colour mix and softness, but it doesn't matter, it's only for me. I popped it up on the wall to dry safely

While in the South this summer I took this photo, specifically to paint from.  I knew that if I didn't freeze the moment with my camera I would never be capable of remembering the different shades of grey/blue/green as one layer of trees follows another till they reach the horizon.

This has to be the most relaxing thing I do!

I wish you all a happy and relaxing weekend, doing whatever you enjoy most