Friday, March 29, 2013

Happy Easter!

 
Happy Easter, everyone!
 
We are so ready for Spring here at the studio. Our last snowfall is finally starting to melt, so now we are entering the phase of muddy little paws coming in and out of the house all day. Nevertheless, I love the changing seasons. The wet weather means that the grass and flowers will soon be coming back to life. I am wearing bright pink today, no more winter grays for me!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Emerald Green


St Patrick's Day is coming up, and that has me thinking about the color green. Pantone's color of the year for 2013 is Emerald green. I can't say that this is my favorite green, as I generally prefer more natural "woodier" greens, but Emerald can look very modern and classy. (actually neither of those adjectives really describe me, so maybe that is why I don't paint with Emerald much!).



Here is a Pantone suggested color palette using Emerald. I am going to see how I can work this fresh color into my designs this year. To mix Emerald in watercolor, I have used Peacock Blue and Permanent Yellow Light. The watercolors I use are Mijello Mission Gold.

 
I have been experimenting with finding natural subjects where I can incorporate the new color palette. This is lots of fun and has led me to subjects that I might not have thought of painting otherwise! Happy Painting, everyone!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Creativity

Last week, I set the photo collage below as my profile pic on a social networking site. I had no idea I would set off a big debate on the nature of creativity, both on and off the site! The debate centered on whether everyone has innate creativity, or whether it is a special gift that only certain people are born with.

Certainly, some people are highly creative. These are the people who make great strides, both in art and technology. Scientific American Mind magazine featured an article last year, which stated that highly creative people are missing a "filter" in their mind which helps process information. Because that filter is missing, these people group sensory input in different ways from other people, and this leads them to make new connections, both visually and cognitavely.

However, I think that everyone is born with a certain amount of creativity. You only have to look at the way children play to see them use their imaginations. As children grow, though, many of them start to suppress their creative impulses, from fear of not measuring up, of being mocked, or of not fitting in. Our school system also contributes. The fact that teachers now are required to "teach to the tests" mean that there is little room for creative or out of the box thinking in the standard classroom. My compliments go out to all the teachers who manage to overcome the regulations set in place and make the learning process fun and stimulating. That requires some real creativity!

Creativity doesn't just mean that someone is good at an artform or can come up with a new invention. Do you ever deviate from a recipe, adding ingredients that you think will taste better? Do you add your own touches when you sing a song? Do you play with your children and come up with new ways to encourage or inspire them? How about the outfits that you wear each day; I bet you don't wear head to toe monochrome, day in and day out.

Creativity is part of every day, whether we realize it or not. It is up to you to nuture whatever feeds your creative spirit. Dance, sing, hug your children. Draw, paint, cook. If nothing else, put your head back and daydream. How do you express yourself? I would love to know.