Where are you now?

I finished my painting! Can't help but still think about that busaccident whenever I see it. So I called it "where are you now?", referring to that horrible night and most part of the day when the parents still didn't know whether their child was dead or alive. I see the circles as the children going up to heaven, and the hands of the parents reaching out to them.

Well, that's my interpretation anyway. Other people probably make something else of it. The nice thing is that I didn't plan this beforehand, it just came to me while I was painting. I'll forever be grateful to Flora for changing the way I paint. Probably won't stay with this style forever and ever, since I like to experiment with different things. But it'll sure influence everything I do from now on.

Still working on my painting

Painted some more layers on my painting from Flora's workshop, and I'm finally feeling better about it, like I know where I want to go with it. Not finished yet, but getting there.

Oh, I so love painting this way. Not knowing where I'll end up, just let the drips and dribbles decide. Don't need to think beforehand about what I'm going to paint, the images reveal themselves. Very freeing.

Uh-oh

I painted yesterday morning, and then the painting sat on my easel for the rest of the day. And the more I looked at it, the worse I felt about it. Something was wrong, and I didn't know what. I first thought it was the use of wrong colours, but finally I knew what was bothering me. It was the hair. It was way too overpowering and didn't fit with the rest of the painting.

First I wanted to sleep over it,  and decide in the morning what to do. But being the impatient person that I am, I couldn't wait any longer, so at bedtime I got my paint out again and started being bold and brave. That's something I learned in Flora's workshop. If you're not happy with a certain part of your painting, don't worry. It's just another layer. Paint over it, make some bold changes and take it from there.

So I did. I dripped and dribbled paint, made some more marks, and now have a whole range of new possibilities. Not really sure where to go with it now, but I have some ideas in my head.

Wonder where it'll end ....

Painting again!

Well, yesterday I managed to paint for about 3 hours in a row! Today it's raining very hard, so I just might put on my painting clothes and start painting again. I just feel like it and honestly, is there a better thing to do on rainy days like these? Okay, I can think of a million things I NEED to do, but do I WANT to do them? Noooo!

I'll give myself a break and just paint ;-)

This is painting one from Flora's workshop. It has been sitting on the easel since a few weeks. I was a bit lost as to what to do with it. I think Mickey Mouse just spoiled it for me ... (can you see him about halfway on the left side?)

But last week I started looking for images again and spotted some straight away, like the figure laying down in the middle. I drew a big bird, not because it saw it in there, but because I just wanted a big bird on there.

And then I heard the news about the busaccident in Switserland, where 28 Belgians, including 22 children, died after a skiing holiday with school. This affected me greatly. Maybe because my son is the same age as  those children killed, maybe because the parents had to wait so long before knowing whether their child was dead or alive, maybe because the whole country was in shock. I don't know, but suddenly I didn't see Mickey Mouse anymore, but a person in despair. And other figures, in disbelief and shock.

I don't really want to paint a sad painting, but I just saw these figures popping out and I decided to go with it. We'll see where it ends. Here's how far I've gotten yesterday. Still have a lot of work to do, but I'm feeling okay about it now.

Now I'm off to paint!

Where does the time go ?!!

I don't know how I did it last month with the 29 faces challenge, but this month I can't seem to find the time to do anything. I've been looking at my other painting of Flora's workshop and have been dying to get my hands on it and paint, but EVERYTIME something else that's more urgent or more important or plain necessary pops up. It's soooo frustrating!

So I have made a promise to myself: tomorrow I will paint! No matter what else needs to be done, I'm going to paint first and do the rest later. Yes! I've just bought some more Golden Fluid Acrylics, my favorite paint, and I want to try it out.

I've also been salivating over some online workshops that I would love to do. Like the new 21 secrets workshop from Dirty Footprints Studio. But maybe I should just stop now and first make time to finish the workshops I am doing right now. I still need to practice a lot with Flora's techniques, and last year I also started an online workshop with Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen: Chaos & Calm. The "problem" (well, for me...) with that workshop is that it is open indefinitely, and then I tend to slack. I found that for me in order to finish things I need a deadline. I need STRESS! Otherwise I just take forever. But it's a very good workshop with wonderful teachers who have taught me a lot already, so I really want to do all the assignments.

Maybe something that takes less time is a new online magazine from Cloth Paper Scissors: Art Journaling Exposed. Looks interesting from what I've read of it so far. And I just feel this hunger to learn more. Don't know why.

Maybe I should just ban the internet forever and go play with my paint brushes... 'Cos if there's one time thief it sure is browsing the web. So many interesting things to find on there, it's exhausting.

At least today I managed to start some things for my markets. When I lived in Belgium I participated as often as I could in craft markets and art fairs (which wasn't very often since there was only a very limited choice). Now that I'm living in Australia I want to do that again, but I really need to build up some stock.

Here's the start of a miniature painting. They are very small (10x10cm) and I normally finish them off with some nice quote. Didn't do that yet, but at least I got the face finished. I should have made my 29 faces on these small canvases. Why does that thought only occur to me now!?

Finished! (I think...)

Have been working on and off for the last few days on my painting. I put it in the livingroom where I could see it every day, so I could get a feeling for it and know what else it needed. And now I think it's finished.

I enjoyed the process of making this painting so much! I'm so happy that I did Flora's workshop. I learned a lot. She is an amazing teacher: fun, accepting, positive. It's a joy watching her paint in the video's and getting to know her view on life and painting. I'm a bit sad that it's over, but I'm very happy that I still have access to the class video's for the next 6 months. She has also written a book that will be published somewhere in May I think, and I might buy that as well.

Well, here it is! I haven't thought of a name for it yet. But it'll come to me, I'm sure.

In the meantime, I've been staring at the other painting as well, and finally some images are emerging for me. So now I can go and finish the second painting. Yoohoo! Looking forward to it!

Surprise!

Guess what? I received a package in the mail today!

Beautifully wrapped also. I was expecting it, because for the first time in my life I've won something! I wrote something on Jenny's blog a while ago, and then I got a mail that I won a pendant! I couldn't believe my eyes! Had to read it a couple of times, because I honestly NEVER win anything.

I "met" Jenny through the 29 faces challenge in February. She managed to make beautiful faces every day, and every face came with a little story. I found myself looking forward to reading these little gems. And in her last post for the 29 faces, she gave her readers the opportunity to win something.

I was very happy to win the pendant, but when I opened the package, there were even more goodies inside!
Here are some pictures:

Not only the pendant, but also a magnet, some tags, a vintage napkin and a beautiful selfmade card with Belgian stamps on it! Wonder where she found these!

this is one side of the pendant, a beautiful girl named Clementine

and this is the other side, her name is Belle and she came with a beautiful story

the "Belgian" vintage postcard

Go take a look at her blog, she makes beautiful things and the little stories that go with it are very touching. You'll love it!

Next stage

Managed to paint a bit more on my second painting. I'm behind with watching the videos from the workshop. The workshop was 5 weeks, and is finished now, but lucky for me the videos will be available for the next 6 months. I think I will finish them all in the next few days, and then start all over again from the beginning, because I can't even remember exactly what I've been doing on my canvases. I'll have to start making notes ;-)

Some more figures have emerged, and I have some more I want to bring out there. Can't wait to paint again. Hopefully tomorrow ...

Getting somewhere ... (I hope!)

After staring at my paintings for a whole week, I finally found the courage to work on it again. That's to say: I worked on painting 2. Painting 1 I'm feeling a bit stuck, so I'll just have to brood on it for a while.

But with painting 2 I had loads of fun today. This style of painting is very liberating. You don't have to worry too much about the outcome, you can drip and drizzle paint wherever you like, you don't know what you're painting beforehand, you just have to let it come to you. And if you start one thing and you don't like it, you just paint over it again. I was a bit worried that my painting would be too dark, but I managed to get it much lighter in today's painting session.

It's a long way from being finished, but I thought it would be fun to post the next stages again.

Figures are starting to emerge ...

the stage where I am now

I have been doing a lot of sketching this week, working out ideas for the paintings from Flora's workshop. It's really weird, but it's almost as if the 29 faces challenge drained me from inspiration. I just couldn't find the energy to draw girls anymore. Now I just want to paint, on big canvases, and make a big mess. It's FUN!

In progress painting 2

I tackled my paintings again today. Alas, not enough time, had to stop to get the kids from school. Now it's almost bedtime and I'm wondering whether I should get my paints out anyway and just continue playing. I sure feel like it, but I know I'm gonna regret it in the morning. So I'll do the sensible thing and just finish this post and go to sleep. Yawn. How boring ...

Painting one did get another layer today. I lost count on how many layers there are on there already. Don't know what to think of it. I think it has moved on to the ugly adolescent phase. But: I'm starting to see images emerging! That's always the exciting part. Just not sure how to go about getting them out there. I have the tendency to cover up too much of the previous layers, so I really have to stop myself in time. Not easy. Maybe just as well that everyday life gets in the way and makes me stop painting.

Here's painting 1 (the one I showed yesterday) with another layer:

I can also see an image emerging that I don't really want to see. But sadly I see it very clearly. On the left side, about halfway through, I see Mickey Mouse! And I'm not sure I want a Mickey Mouse on my painting ... In fact, I'm sure I don't want him on my painting! Have to cover that up real fast.

And here's painting 2 from start to ugly teenager phase ...

first layer: warm colours

second layer: cool colours (see! I covered up too much again)

layer 3

adding contrast: layer 4

layer 5

And finally it's a teenager! Wonder how I'll get an adult out of this ...

In progress pics Flora Bowley

I took a break from the computer for a few days. Really needed to catch up with some other things I'd been neglecting during the challenge. I kind of miss it though... (the challenge I mean). But I've been making some progress with my Flora Bowley workshop. My paintings are now in their "ugly teenager-phase", as Flora so gently puts it. So don't expect too much of it ;-)


Here are the in progress pictures of my first canvas (working on 2 at the same time). I'll show the other one tomorrow. Wished I could just keep working on it, but the chores from every day keep getting in the way. You know that feeling? That by the time you've done everything on your to-do-list the day is over? And so is painting-time? Very frustrating. Oh well, tomorrow's another week. I'll just have to plan better ....

the first layer: warm colours

second layer: cool colours (I covered way too much of the first layer)

third layer

layer four: bringing in contrast (very bad picture, I forgot to take one and then took one after I already started the next layer)

layer five

layer 6: the ugly teenager phase...

I have no idea where I'm going with this. I'll just go with the flow and let my intuition decide for me. That's the plan anyway :-)

29 faces challenge

Thought it would be fun to put al my faces from this challenge next to eachother, like I saw on some other people's blogs. It was fun, especially the connection with other people, and I want to thank everyone who bothered to take a look at what I'm creating and shared their ideas and thoughts.

Here they are: 29 faces in 29 days! Phew! (click on the image to see it bigger)