Finding My Inner Creativity

Thursday night, some girlfriends hosted "studio night" for anyone who was interested in coming to paint. We each pitched in five bucks for supplies, and the gifted artist Leslie Graff White brought paints, boards and brushes, and the inspiration to help us tap into our creative sides.

As I'd recently written about my wish to create some paintings, I was very excited about this opportunity. My only fear was that my efforts would be completely unsatisfying, owing to my distinct lack of artistic ability with a paintbrush. So you can imagine my excitement as I discussed my desires with Leslie, and she made some suggestions about what I could do that would be meaningful and rewarding.

I printed out some of the digital images I've created which carry significance to me, and cut them up into small squares of varying size. After painting my board with a wash, I glued my little cut up images onto it in an abstract pattern. Using Modge Podge, I applied tissue paper over the images which gives it texture and visual interest, and then I dove in with the paintbrush and finished it off with acrylic paints.

The final result quite pleased me, and has personal meaning to boot. I just may have found a new creative outlet for myself!

Here's my first piece. I'm calling it Aspects of Blue, which is (not coincidentally) the name of my current header image.
(11x14 mixed media.)

I l♥ve the message of this YouTube clip. It's well-worth the less-than-two-minutes of your time it lasts to have a look.

And if you have an extra 19 minutes, this TedTalk by Sir Ken Robinson is very good too.

Thanks to Shelah for her generosity in hosting Studio Night, and to the lovely Leslie for coming out from New England and inspiring us with her talents. It was a delight to spend an evening with you and the other ladies who came. There are so many great people in this world!

Grateful for:
1) Discovering something new and enjoyable
2) Creating something satisfying, whether it be on the piano, in the kitchen, art, a friendship or any beautiful thing.
3) The fact that ALL my tomato plants are currently engaged in growing fresh tomatoes for me. Can't wait till they're ripe!