Benefits of Art Therapy: Freedom

After thinking and thinking, which is not easy for me, BTW…lol  I finally decided to give myself the freedom of painting what I’m feeling from day to day.  NOT to paint what people may want to buy, but to just paint what I want to paint. I love the benefits of art therapy and the freedom!

I’m finding that I’m liking abstract quite a bit.  I know I spoke about this in my last post, but I wanted to show you a couple of examples of what my idea of abstract is. 

I’m not sure why, but I love this and it was so much fun to paint.  It is abstract, but, you do know what your looking at. Its roses.  

I also absolutely LOVE to paint flowers of all kinds and butterflies are kind of my signature.  Not all my paintings have them, but a lot of them do. Lol

When I start to paint, say I start around 9:00 or 10:00, I get immersed in what I’m doing, the next thing I know the hubby is home from work!!!  Where did all the time go??? But mostly….why wasn’t I worried about it or much of anything else during all that time??! Because I was so relaxed while creating something that I loved. I don’t even notice when the TV shuts off because I’m not paying attention to it. I’m totally immersed!  Art is therapy!! I’ll say it over and over. No matter what type of art you’d like to do…it is therapy. It takes your mind off of whatever is bothering you or has you depressed, anxious or just bothered! Lol

I can remember laying in bed for a long time BTW, and having nothing to do or look forward to.  I had NO goals, no ambition, no nothing. It had been stripped away after the diagnosis of MS. Even though I was not totally physically impared by MS, it played HARD on my psyche!  I did have problems walking and my energy level was nil, but I still believe that it was that MS medicine that started the down fall for me. Regardless, I was depressed and if I did go out shopping, like WalMart, I would go into a terror panic from sensory overload.  Not so much crowds, but, having so much to look at! It overloaded my brain and I went into a panic and would sometimes literally run out of the store! Poor hubby would be stuck to do the rest of the shopping! I have such a good husband!!! I still, to a certain extent, have this problem, but of course I fight it as hard as I can and most of the time I can make it all the way through checkout. Lol

I just finished a five (5) canvas painting and I’m loving it.  It took a while, but to me, it turned out beautiful. And I’ve figured out that I’m the one that has to love the painting, even if others don’t.  I paint for therapy, and because I absolutely love to paint…period!! Lol I’m looking forward to spring and the festivals to start back up. I love meeting people that walk into my little tent and ooh and awe at my paintings.  Most say they love them, but only a few will buy. I never get upset with it because I know that some people don’t have the money to spend on a painting, or they just don’t have room for one. But when I do sell one and I know the person who bought it actually loved my work, my head swells to almost bursting. Lol

Doing abstract art is just an example of some art therapy.  You can choose what it is that speaks to you!! Paint what you feel when your feeling it.  Angry …paint angry and let it show. Happy, do the same! If I’m sad about something, then I guarantee you, it will show in what I’m painting.  

Art therapy is what you make it.  It can be doodling, sketching something, trying to work with different mediums, like paint, charcoal or inks.  It really doesn’t matter what you choose to do…..just do it! For some reason, it just makes things look and feel better when you put your mind to canvas or paper.  It just seems to all come out. Or at least I know it does for me. 

The reason I started this blog was to try to explain how much painting has done for me.  I swear if I have a day that I don’t paint…it’s like I didn’t accomplish anything. Lol Or like I missed a day of work.  Go figure. I guess it’s that right brain way of thinking. Lol

If anyone that reads my blog (like there are thousands LMBO) and would like to talk about this subject, please leave me your email address on my contact page.  Maybe I can lead you to the right person in your area that can get you started in art. Or if you live within driving distance to me, I’ll be more than happy to get you on the right path!!  Just get in touch!!

And to end almost all of my blogs, go visit my My Paintings where you’ll find almost all of the paintings I have done for the past couple of years.  They, of course, are all for sale!

How An Artist looks at Art Therapy: Artists and Art Therapy

Since I’m already creative and paint almost daily….how does an artist look at art therapy?  More art? Nope. Artists suffer from burn out just like any other job or hobby that people have.  We need a change up every now and then, just like everyone else. Everyone has different ways of coping with burnout or stress.  (Yes, artist’s have stress as well, like, will we be able to sell any of our art, if our art is actually good enough, etc.).

So what do I do? And, I’m sure that what I do is different from some others…..I go out into nature and just feel the sun on my face, and I look at everything!  I usually take my camera or at least my phone, and I take a lot of pictures. I love working in my yard and planting flowers, when my health allows and then enjoy my labor!   For some reason, just getting out in the air and taking it all in helps me get what stress relief I need. I may walk away from painting for a few days and then just sit and look at the pictures I took on my outing.  Sometimes, maybe I’ll feel like going to town, maybe on a shopping outing. If I do that, then I’ll take pictures of some interesting buildings, or even people. Of course I won’t paint them to sell, but I do get ideas from them!  Sometimes I sit in my car while the hubby shops. I love to watch people and see what they are either wearing, doing or how they are acting. Sometimes I’m shocked at what I see, at times I’m just at awe. You never know what people will do out in public. Lol

This link is from Wiki to let you know what Occupational burnout is about!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_burnout

I also listen to people when I’m around them. (Even though they don’t know I’m listening) lol   I heard a few people the other day say they wished they could find some black roses. So here they are!! LMBO

I’ve had total burn out before, even though I don’t work a regular job.  All I do is stay home, clean, take care of the yard and paint. I don’t cook….that’s hubby’s job!!  Thank goodness, cause I don’t like to cook. Lol I was TOTALLY on burn out and pretty much still am on trying to build a website that I would own.  Of course they say it’s easy and I guess it is if you know what all the tech words are and what they mean. So, I pretty much gave up for a while. Who knows…I may try again at some point. Lol

I love painting flowers and butterflies.  I guess because of its nature. Flowers and butterflies.  Seems this sort of painting comes more natural to me than any other subject I try to paint!   

This one was a short story of sorts.  I just wanted to get on here and voice my own opinion on what an artist can do to relieve stress just like you can!  

That’s all for now folks.  Love to ya!!

Albert Einstein and His Views on Imagination: Imagination and Art

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.  Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.  Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein  Thus, my point on art and how it heals.  I’ve said it before and I’ll continue saying it! lol

You gotta love Albert Einstein.  He was such a genius, but believed that without imagination, there would be no actual knowledge.  He was such a believer in imagination! I find myself quoting him quite often in different situations.  Especially with those intellectual type people. Lol You know the type, those that think that just because they have a college degree makes them smarter than us! People that are so smart they’re actually pretty dumb!  Lol All book sense but no common sense! Lol Imagination goes hand in hand with art. If you can imagine it, you can put it to good use and paint it, draw it, doodle it and just relax while you’re doing it!!  

So what!  Maybe you’ll NEVER, ever be an engineer, or scholar or an intellect of any sort really. But, you can be creative!  You can paint, or doodle or maybe draw. If you can do anything creative, then do it for your health! Your mental health!  Because art is how a lot of people heal. Maybe not physically (although it sure helped me physically) but mentally! 

 For me, I’m creative and I have my place in this world just like intellectuals do.  And I CAN walk and chew gum at the same time and not have to think too hard to do it.  Lol I’m not good at math, or much on logical thinking. I literally hate anything tech, like figuring out advertising!  It’s ridiculous what it takes just to do that these days. Lol   

I think mostly with my heart, feelings, and love of nature.  I guess that’s why I love art so much. It puts all of me onto a canvas and I come out in each and every one of them in one way or the other.  I am a lover of people. All kinds of people. I love meeting new people and getting to know them and talking with them. I may not remember their name after they walk away or even while talking to them, thanks to all my brain misfiring. Lol  But I am genuine when talking to them! So, if I ever meet any of the people that read these blogs out on the street, please don’t be offended if I don’t remember your name after you walk away or whether we’ve met before or not. My memory just doesn’t work very well and hasn’t since my first mini stroke!  And my worst problem is, I trust easily. To easily! I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they prove me wrong, but don’t be fooled by that. I can also read people pretty fast. And even if there’s just something about you that doesn’t strike me just right, I’ll still give you that benefit of the doubt.  But only for a short time!!! Then, I’ll walk away and never look back at you if you fool me once! As the old saying goes, fool me once shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me. Lol I believe that most creatives have this ability to some degree. I just learned at an early age how to use it! 

So, Albert Einstein was a genius, but he also emphasized how important imagination is. He knew that if he didn’t have his  imagination he probably wouldn’t have been a genius. And as much as he talked about it, believe me, I totally believe he knew imagination was a lot of how he learned to do what he did! He was very good at math, and he combined his imagination with his math skills and look at what he did!!  WOW!!!!

 I’m definitely not a genius but I do have a very vivid imagination. I always have. (I am definitely NOT any good at math!  I still have to use my fingers just to do simple addition). LMAO I believe that’s why I love to paint as much as I do because it lets me release my imagination. I am trying to start  to paint abstract, and with abstract you really have to let your imagination go free and don’t think about your subject. I’ve watched videos where they said that when you’re painting abstract you’re not seeing anything in your mind you just put what you’re feeling at the time on the  canvas. This is much harder to do than what you might think. I’m finding that letting my feelings go on my canvas, what I come up with looks like oh… nothing. I’m so used to painting actual subjects like flowers, butterflies, or scenes that you know exactly what you’re looking at, that just letting myself go and the subject not be really anything that you recognize is much harder for me than what I thought it would be. 

I’m going to try to post a few of my abstracts later on as I develop myself to see how they’re going to end up looking. I’m not too sure how this is going to end up but at least I’m going to give it a shot. I love experimenting and I love being able to use my imagination so this is going to be a challenge that I think I’m going to like to have.  Art is therapy for me! True therapy! Since I’m disabaled, I have all day to play, so, I’m blessed on this for sure! If you’re not as lucky as me check out what The Journal of the American Art Therapy Association said.

Results of a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association found that just 45 minutes of creative activity can reduce your stress, regardless of artistic experience or talent.

So, what is imagination and how can YOU use it to relieve stress, anxiety and help your depression, you may ask….

Imagination is the ability to produce and simulate novel objects, peoples and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. It is also described as the forming of experiences in the mind, which can be re-creations of past experiences such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or they can be completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes.^[1] Imagination helps make knowledge applicable in solving problems and is fundamental to integrating experience and the learning process.^[2][3][4][5] A basic training for imagination is listening to storytelling (narrative),^[2][6] in which the exactness of the chosen words is the fundamental factor to “evoke worlds”.^[7]  Wikipedia

Imagination is a wonderful thing to have and everyone has one to some degree!  Some have vivid imaginations and can work wonders with it. Others have a great imagination, but have no idea what to do with it!  

For me, being the genius I am….seriously ROFLMAO, I say that if you have any stress, anxiety, or depression…..USE that imagination to get it ALL out on canvas!  Just let it go!! I promise that you’ll be shocked at how much better you’ll feel after you do! It really is amazing! Even if all you put on the canvas is blobs, lines, streaks, circles, or better yet….what you are imagining at that moment!  

I can help you with all of what I’ve been talking about.  All you have to do is reach out to me. What you tell me will be in total confidence and I can help you get on the road to healing if you’ll just give me the chance.  I’m not a psychologist, or anything like that. But I can show, or teach you based on my own experience with art and help you along the way!   So this is kind of a disclaimer. I teach based on my own experiences and what I’ve learned over many years of practice!!  I CAN help you!  

Imagination and art go hand in hand!  It does for ALL artists! And it can help you one your way to healing!!  All you have to do is be willing to use it and give it a try!   

Now A Little About Me

Now let me introduce myself properly and tell you a little about me.  

My name is Glenda Eades and I’m a self taught artist.  I’ve never taken a single art class. I’ve been a doodler all my life.  I played with charcoal, colored pencil, and colored ink and after hitting adulthood, I decided to give painting a try.  Adulthood being the age of 40. LOL I can’t tell you very much about art history, or color theory, or how the ins and outs of it all works.  But, I can show you different brush strokes, what to do to make this or that work, or how to build a technique that fits your style. What I can also tell you is how Art is the best therapy there is in the world to me!  And I’ve tried several kinds of therapy, including a psychiatrist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know they have their place in this world. So does medications. I’ve taken just about every kind of antidepressant, antianxiety, anti this and anti that out there. But I’m here to tell you that ART was it for me ALL the way!  It’s the best stress reliever, anxiety reliever and antidepressant I’ve ever found and I’ve suffered from all the above. I also have MS, I’ve had a massive heart attack (age 48 by the way), 3 mini strokes and 2 aneurysm surgeries. So my tiny brain has been through the ringer!! (And just a little side note….Since I picked my brush back up, I don’t take ANY aniti this or anti that any more)!!!

All that being said, I need to let you know before you read very much farther on any of my blogs.  You’ll find out that I may speak a little differently than what you’d expect from someone that’s writing anything, much less a blog for all that wants to see it.  I may explain things differently than you expect, but you WILL understand what I’m talking about, I promise. I just may use non-professional terms to explain it. I pretty much write the way I speak, however wrong that may be.  But you’ll be able to relate to me, I hope!! I’ll insert LOL’s in my sentences, because reading a laugh, is quite hard. Lol And I try to laugh as much as possible so be prepared to see those LOL’s quite a bit!

I’ll be showing you my art throughout my blogs and just an FYI, it’s all for sale and only one of each painting. (If you see something you really love but don’t have the money to buy it, let me know and I’ll have a signed print made of it to sell and send to you.  All the prints will be numbered and very limited). I wouldn’t buy a piece of artwork if I didn’t love it and neither should you!! So, please feel free to go visit my store while your here and have a look around. I sell my original art or if you prefer, I will do prints upon request.  All of my originals are done mainly in acrylics but some have inks infused for effects etc. My “store” is under portfolio for now. So just have a gander and see some of my work and I update it when I have a new piece come out! My “store” is under “I just love to paint.” I hope you enjoy!

I’m STILL to this day, trying to figure out my exact style of work.  I know I love to paint abstract, but I want mine to be where you KNOW what your looking at and not having to guess if your holding it upside down or not. LOL

Ummm, see what I’m talking about.  Pretty, but I have NO idea what it is! LOL

I’m also finding out that I love painting abstract flowers or trees etc.  But you’ll also see from some of my earlier work, I can pretty much paint anything I set my mind to, including portraits.  But, that being said, I prefer more of the abstract type work. It, to me, is more relaxing. Maybe what I prefer doing is simi-abstract painting. LOL I’ve not tried paint pouring yet, which, it seems, EVERYONE is getting into right now, but I just don’t see a point to it yet.  Until I see the point, I won’t do it. LOL I mean, it’s pretty, when it turns out right, but what do they do with it after its poured? They say it takes forever for it to dry, and I’ve wondered if they paint some sort of scene over it or just leave it as is?  Again, I don’t know. LOL To me paint pouring isn’t a “real” art because they just mix the colors, pour it over whatever and let it do whatever it wants and they call it art. I guess if you like that sort of thing….go for it. LMBO I like controlling what I do more than just letting the paint flow all over the place willy nilly. LMFAO

Most of my blogs are going to start out talking about how art can be so therapeutic for so many different things.  Just like it is for me. I would love to, at some point, start teaching beginner paint lessons for anyone that would be interested in giving it a try to see if i helps them like its helped me.  I also want to have a discussion forum so that we can talk about whatever we want inside that forum. Where my blogs will end up is just as up in the air as my life is! Who knows how or where it’ll end. LOL

Again, please feel free to head over to my little store and look around.  You never know if something will touch your heart or turn your stomach until you take a look. LMBO

My Art Therapy

After fighting and trying to start a new web site, I finally gave it up! I’ve said it a million times…I’m NO techie!!! I honestly HATE anything dealing with having to read directions and seeing words that I have NO idea what they mean. I was stressed to the max!!!! The right side of my brain was begging for relief….so I gave it to it! LOL

After I got back to <my art therapy>, I got a whole new lease on life, it seems.  There’s just something so relaxing about painting, especially abstract.  I don’t have anything on my mind except putting color to my canvas and just let it flow. 

If your on social media, especially if it’s your job, or if you have to sit behind a computer all day at work looking at numbers or letters all day, that can be just as stressful as an upper management job. If not more so.   That’s the type of work I was doing back in 2000 when I started painting. I was an administrative assistant for a bunch of engineers and I looked at numbers and wrote reports all day every day. I needed some kind of stress relief and theres when <my art therapy> came into play! 

After I decided to paint instead of using charcoal or pencil, it’s like a whole new world of art opened up for me.  I started out with acrylic paint and to this day, that’s still my main media. I love it. I can thin it out to work like water paint or thicken it up to look like oil paint.  It dries fast, so no waiting forever for it to dry enough for the next coat and that’s great for me, because I don’t have the patience to wait. As a matter of fact, I even have a blow dryer hanging next to me to speed up the process even faster. Lol

OK, I’m by no means an expert at any professional type of therapy, but I do know quite a bit about what art therapy does for me.  I know how it takes my mind off of everything around me or what has happened during a bad day. All my concentration is on that canvas and putting my feelings with that acrylic paint on it!  I know how it makes me feel to get it all out. In words, no. Not in word. In primal feelings. Yes. Or to me it’s primal.  

Another thing it does, it boosts my imagination even more.  I will sit around and just think of different ways I can use something out of the ordinary to give a special effect to what I’m painting. A few art therapy ideas is to use that imagination to look for ideas!  Like string for some texture, or using tape to make my lines straighter. It doesn’t cost anything extra to use what you have around the house. Just think of new ways to use old things. I even use hot glue for some effects.  Now that’s fun!! Makes a tree trunk look funky, but you still KNOW its a tree trunk! Lol I’m thinking that some call this type of art, mixed media. And that’s fine too. Either way, it’s fun, relaxing and it let my imagination run free!!  And that my friends is< my art therapy>!!!!’

I would love to see as many people as possible get some art therapy benefits, so I’m going to go out on a very long limb here.  I’d like to challenge anyone that has been brave enough to continue, short as that may be right now, to something. Would you like to take some beginner art lessons to test out what I’m telling you?  With very little cost. I mean like craft paint from Wally World, and dollar store canvas panels? I would suggest no smaller than 11 X 14’s though to give you a little roaming space to begin with. You can buy economy packs of these from Amazon (I’m not an affiliate with anyone YET lol)  But, I do buy mine from them when I can and use them when I’m doing paint parties for kids. Oh, I forgot to mention that I do that as a little side hustle and I have an absolute blast at it!!!! I have parties for adults and kids. And the kids amaze me. I don’t HAVE to tell them to let their imaginations run free, it’s still in them!  As we get older and life takes hold, we adults seem to lose that ability for the most part and that’s a shame! When I’m doing an adult party (class) I HAVE to tell them to please use their imaginations and to please NOT compare to each other.  

My Art Therapy

None of them will EVER walk out of a party with two paintings that look the same.  Some will be cuter than others, but some have done it before! 

OK, back to the challenge.  If you think you’d like to give this art for therapy thing a shot, just let me know.  I’m hoping to have things set up on my web page to be able to give beginner lessons to those that want or need it!  I can PROVE how relaxing it can be, as long as your not OCD….I don’t have a solution for that one yet. I’m NOT a perfectionist, I can take pics of my house to prove this.  But therapy is therapy, even if it <art therapy>!  LMBO  But, anyhoo, if you are interested, send me an email and we’ll get you signed up.  I PROMISE the first couple of lessons will be at no cost and after that the cost will be minimal.  I’m in this to help people that have suffered like me out. Definitely NOT for the money!!

Just a little word of caution…….LOL   If you do decide to give it a try, make sure to sit your computer either above your slinging potential radius or below it or farther than the sling can reach or your laptop, phone, tablet or whatever you use WILL be full of paint!!!  LMFBO I had to clean mine up just so I could see the words that I’m typing. But that’s the life of art. lol

The Health Benefits Of Painting

The Health Benefits Of Painting

Have you ever been so stressed that you didn’t know which way to turn?  Or so stressed that the only relief, however temporary, was spending money?  No matter what your financial state? I’ve been there and done that. Have you ever thought about the health benefits of painting?

Stress can lead to depression to anxiety or to just generally feeling awkward  It’s a funny mind bending game that plays with your head. Most people don’t even know they’re stressed, much less depressed.  They think their just fine, until everything finally comes to a head and you can’t take any more, I’ve been there and done that too!  I didn’t remember how painting was such a health benefit to me back when I first started in 2000. But, boy was it and I didn’t even realize it at the time. 

Anyway, I spent several years in that type of depression. I had MS, yes, but, I was more depressed than what the MS was doing to me.  I had absolutely NO idea what was happening. I kept thinking it was just the MS messing with me. The doctors had me on so many different medications to combat what we thought was MS, not typical MS meds but antidepressants, anti anxiety, anti this and anti that…but all that did was mess me up worse!   But, it wasn’t MS, and thank God I finally figured that out! The Health Benefits of Painting  

At the time this was going on, the only thing I used my computer for was for buying jewelry…  A LOT of jewelry!! The minute I bought it, it made me the happiest person in the world. Now, does this sound familiar to anyone reading this?  I have read several articles about this being a huge tell tell sign of the kind of weird depression or stress that I’m talking about. If only I remembered how it felt to paint it I would have been buying paint, canvas and brushes instead. Lol  Take all that I’ve just said with a grain of salt PLEASE! I’m no expert on any of this. This is my total disclaimer!! I just know how the health benefits of painting helped me.  I’m only trying to explain what I went through and what I learned through it all and hope it helps someone else see if it reminds them of themselves. 

I think a lot of what I’ll be blogging about is what all I went through that led me back to painting and the release it finally gave me.  Instead of wanting to buy something like jewelry (that I barely wear, by the way) I get my relief from painting! And oh what a relief it is!!!  

Now, I want everyone that reads any of my blogs to know that I’m no writer!  Not at all. I never have been, not even in school. So, please bare with all the unknown words that mean something to me but probably mean nothing to you.  I’ll try to explain what I’m trying to say, but may use the wrong word here and there. I blame this on everything that happened to my brain over the years. Doctors have probed inside my little brain on at least two occasions and three mini strokes alson with lesions don’t help any!  I can only thank God that I’m even alive and that he did leave my right brain intact so that I can use that side and considered a creative!  

Now to let you guys in on my secret.  I LOVE to paint. LOL You’ve probably already read that earlier and I stated then that you’d hear me saying this a lot during my blogs.  There’s a true health benefit to painting! It relieves stress, anxiety, depression and even some health problems. I LOVE it…It truly HELPED me and I honestly believe that if I hadn’t started my painting back up, I’d either be dead, or in a mental hospital somewhere. Lol  That’s not exactly a true statement, but it feels that way sometimes. Lol

I can tell you up front that at some point I really hope that I’ll be able to give lessons on-line.  I am such a tech dummy that it may take me months to figure it all out, but I’ll get there. It takes me a little longer to do things than most….BUT, I do get there!  

I am such a believer in the health benefits of painting, I want to show everyone how it can help them too!!  

I Would Love To Teach Kids to Learn How to Use Their Imaginations Through ART

Most kids these days use their imaginations playing video games! I would love to teach them how to use their imaginations the REAL way….through ART. To just watch a child with paint and and little canvas just go at it would fill me to the brim! Can you imagine what that could do for a child? To actually use their own imaginations instead of what’s put in front of them in a video game?

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

― Albert Einstein

 

An Artists Big Nightmare

Yes, I have them! Mine is always the same….no one will like what I paint, much less buy it. I want to try new things….but will the few fans I do have, stop being my fans?? It is a nightmare. One a real artist shouldn’t have!!

Think about it….if we didn’t need the income to keep up our expensive habit…just think of what we might create. I know that my problems have been, trying to please everyone else. Not really pleasing myself!! It’s so hard to get out of that mind set…..because we NEED to make sales for that habit! lol

If any other artists read my little blog has any good ideas on how to get out of the mindset I’m in…..clue me in please!!! Its down right aggravating. I want to experiment with abstract, but, from what I’ve seen others do…it takes a lot of paint….and I can’t afford to waste paint if it turns out looking like poop….and I know it will because abstract is hard to do!! lol

I’ve heard a lot of artists say they paint for themselves. OK, I think that is absolutely GREAT! I would LOVE to just paint for myself. But hubby said that I need to start selling or quit painting. Yeah….he’s the boss!! lol I have a new studio, all set up to do paint parties, advertised, got a little interest….but no bites yet! I HATE marketing and worrying if anyone will even show up!! It’s nerve racking and takes the joy out of painting!!! Boy do I wish I could just paint to please myself!!!

Anyway……That’s this artists nightmare!!!

Just In A Mood Today

This is one of the very few times that I’ve painted something from a childhood memory. I’m not sure where I saw this painting or picture, but here it is.

Jesus After The Cross

Its a 10 X 20 so taking a good pic of it with my camera is impossible!! But I wanted everyone that happens to look at any of my blogs to see my version of this. I refuse to paint any version of Christ Himself, because I have no idea what he actually looked like. I don’t think he was blonde headed with blue eyes like I remember seeing hanging in some churches I went to.

I’m not a religious person, but I was asked to paint some sort of cross, and this was came to mind.

Learning Abstract Painting

Learning To Do Abstract Painting

I’ve got to come up with some ideas on how to start doing abstract.  I’ve done it…but mine seems to always turn out to be something, like a butterfly or flower.  Not something you’d have to guess as to what it is.

Seems for me to be able to do abstract, I really need to learn how to use my pallet knives, in conjunction with my brushes.  I’ve watched the videos, but mine just don’t seem to work out like the others I see. 

My little attempt at abstract.   I sort of like it …but…. Not to sure if anyone else would. Lol

The background of this one was done with palette knives, but that’s about as much as I know how to use them.   As I keep telling everyone that asks….it takes a LOT of practice!!