Friday, November 25, 2011

Tenth Painting

So i've been taking a 6-week painting course on-line with Connie, and i'm having such a BLAST!

Connie told us to paint a memory, and my first memory painting was a bit of a downer.

So i decided to paint something happy.

In the car, i could think of *tons* of happy memories i could paint...

I thought *surely* i could find a happy memory to paint...

Um...

Hmmm...

Easier said than done, i guess.

When i got in front of my big white paper, the only memory that would come up was *another* bad one.




There's a looong story behind this one, but i'll try to give you the condensed version...
I skipped high school one day, got drunk, woke up to my oldest brother fussing at me about how i was being awful to our Mom.
This painting is my view while walking away from him, toward my car up the steps.
He was fussing at me hard, and i yelled back, "Shut up!  You don't even know!!!"  I don't exactly remember what happened after i got in my car, but this painting wanted to come out.


So i let it.
That's kinda what Connie's course is about: letting out what needs to come out; letting the painting speak to you... and LISTENING; letting happen what needs to happen (sort of like in Yoga class).


It's about Painting (the verb), the *Process*, not about The Painting (the noun).
And i still LOVE painting!


Hope i haven't brought you down today with this.
That is NOT my intent!
Just sharing my life and what i'm doing with my Art.


Won't you share yours too?


Hope you have a GREAT weekend!
See you Monday.


=-)







Thursday, November 24, 2011

Ninth Painting

First allow me to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day.
Hopefully you are able to be with family... or at least with those you love and who love you.  =-)  



Now on to my Painting post...


I hesitated posting this painting...
And now that i realize it will be published on T'Day, i hesitate even more...

But...

I prefer to keep on keepin' on (as we used to say in the '70s).  =-)

Connie told us to paint a memory this week, and this was the very first one that came up.  Once it was there, i just couldn't get it off my mind.

And then, i just knew it was exactly the memory i needed to paint.

I knew it would be difficult to do, and *that* was why i *had* to paint it.

I posted a long time ago about being molested.
I dealt with it and worked through it a long time ago.
Then my youngest daughter was molested, and that brought up all my old memories.
And when Connie told us to paint a memory, *this* was the one that came up and wouldn't back down.

So i painted it the best i could.




I don't love it, but i painted it.
So in keeping with posting all of my paintings, there you go.  =-)


After i finished it, i had lots of other memories come up; happy memories.  So i decided to paint a different Memory Painting...
I'll show you that one tomorrow.


'Til then


Have a GREAT day!!!  Hopefully it's full of Love and Loved Ones.  
=-)







Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Eighth Painting

Okay, so *this* one was really fun!

Like i told you, the first paintings Connie told us to do were 
Scribble (just paint with scribbles)
Line  (just paint with lines & color)
Shape  (just paint shapes, like circles, triangles, etc)

Then, Connie told us to "Paint like a 5 year old!"
Now, what she meant wasn't to paint what you would paint if you were 5, but to paint with the *process* that a 5 year old uses;
just paint, not worrying about precision or proportion or any Art School worries.  
Just paint.
Just do it, show someone you love, and then
Drop it!
It's done.  Don't worry about it.  Don't question it.  Don't point out your mistakes.  Heck, there *are* no mistakes!
A 5 year old gets a piece of paper, some paint & a brush
puts a picture on the paper
takes it home & shows it to Mom
and then
hops away, on to something else!

That's the kind of attitude Connie wanted us to paint with.

And I LIKED IT!   =-)

Well, let me show it to you:



Isn't it cute?!
And whimsical!
I had fun doing it, too.  I really love painting, and it surprises me every time! I didn't know i would love painting so much!  =-)

I've never considered myself an Artist, but i'm beginning to think i just may be...

Whatever.
Anyway,
I'M HAVING FUN!!!


'Til tomorrow.
=-)




Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Seventh Painting

Today's painting is another Shape painting.  
Nothing to brag about, but i had fun doing it.  =-)






It feels SO good to do some Art each day.  =-)
I've really enjoyed taking Connie's course, BIG.
She has a free course you can try for yourself!

What do you have to lose?  =-)


Hope your part of the World is doing GREAT!
Back tomorrow with another painting...

=-)



Monday, November 21, 2011

Sixth Painting

So first, Connie had us paint Scribbles.

Then she had us paint Lines.

Next she had us paint Shapes.

Any shape.  Circle, triangle,  square, star, whatever our intuition told us.  
Whatever felt good.  =-)
So here's what i did:




Simple!  =-)

And that's the secret to Connie's course, BIG; make it simple, starting out.
That way, there's no "right" or "wrong".
There's nothing to "mess up".
And since it's on (basically just cheap) paper, there's not a lot your Inner Critic can say, 'cause this is "just an exercise".  

And again,
i felt SO GOOD while painting this!

Yes, i know it's simple.
Yes,  i know "anybody" can do it.
Yes, i know it's NO Masterpiece!

...
And i DON'T CARE!
I STILL felt SO GOOD while painting it.  =-)

'Cause it's NOT about the Painting (the noun).
It's about the Process of painting (the verb)!


And i REALLY REALLY LIKE the VERB!!!
=-)


=-)






Friday, November 18, 2011

Fifth Painting

Okay...  So it looks a lot like my Fourth painting.
But that's okay because it's a process.
And according to Connie, it's alllll about The Process (and NOT the Painting [the Noun])!

Another "Lines" painting from the first week of BIG:




And, once again, i felt sooooo good doing it!  

=-)



Thursday, November 17, 2011

Fourth Painting

So for the first week of BIG, Connie wanted us to paint with Scribbles, then with Lines, and then with Shapes.
Here is my "Lines" painting.




Do i think this is great?
Nope.
But did i *feel* great doing it?

YOU BET!!!

For some reason, i feel SO GOOD when i Paint!
I LOVE IT!!!
So painting is quickly becoming something i think about alot.
And  painting is becoming something i *want* to do, too.

Like, Every Day.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you my next "new thing".  

=-)





Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Third Painting

Not much to look at, and didn't take me very long either, but the important thing is...

I'm Painting!  =-)

Connie at Dirty FootPrints Studio, and of Fearless Painting fame, "warned" us that we'll have some ugly paintings, and that 
"That's Okay!"



So during the past 5 weeks of her course, my Fear Gremlin (aka Inner Critic) has been pretty quiet.
And that's a VERY GOOD THING!  =-)

Hoping you're having a Wonderful Day!
I'm off to Paint some more!
=-)




Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Second Painting

So here's the second painting i did with Connie's course, BIG:


I can't even begin to tell you how good i felt while i was painting this.
And i've had this experience almost *every* time i've painted.


Connie tells us to "let go" and to go with the flow.
She also tells us of ways to forget about our "Inner Gremlin", our "Fear Gremlin", our Inner Critic.  (Different people call "it" different things.)


But this one was Free-ing.
This one felt good.
And then i was getting mad while i was doing it.
But Connie had warned us about the emotions that would come up, so i knew it was okay, and i immediately went to my journal and wrote about what i was feeling.  
It helped.
It felt good to be delving into all that was coming up.


Once again, Painting felt Good.




I'll be back soon about my next painting.
=-)

Monday, November 14, 2011

First Painting

I know it's been a looong time since i last posted...
And lots has been going on over here...
But i thought i should at least *try* to catch you up.  =-)

So, i went to this website and 

Fell. 
In.
Love!

And since then, i've been 
PAINTING!

Keep in mind that i am NOT a painter.
I don't really even consider myself an Artist...  but...

But Connie has convinced me that i don't *need* to be.
Or that i already am.
Or whatever.
It doesn't matter!
It doesn't matter if i consider myself an Artist, or if i *am* an Artist.
What matters is that i Paint.

And i have found that when i Paint

I
Feel 
Fabulous!!!

So i've spent the past 5 weeks in a painting course with Connie
and i've been painting.

And IT FEELS WONDERFUL!!!

It feels so good when i paint.
I don't think about anything but the feel of painting (the Verb).

Here is the first painting i did in Connie's course "BIG":



I was  supposed to just "scribble".
And i did!
But it became *more* than just scribbling.  And since i watched all of Connie's videos for the week, i knew that it was okay if it turned into more than just "scribbling".  
So i went with it.
And it felt so good.

As Connie suggested, i also journaled along with my painting, but i'll not bore you with that right now.

Just suffice to say that once you put yourself in Connie's confident and loving hands, you will be able to paint something.

I am SO enjoying this journey with her.
And you would too.

I'll post more of what i've been painting.
I'll try to be back tomorrow.

=-)
Just Paint Something!