Peaceful moments

Lately we have been practicing more and more mindfulness. This video was made for International Day of Peace. I invite you to quiet the mind, allow the thoughts to stop, and focus on the breath, just for a few moments.

Intuitive Painting

Flora Bowley in her studio

Last year I took part in Flora Bowley's 'Brave Intuitive You' art class. I love Flora's style and had been looking for this type of art ever since I discovered an artwork of lotus flowers at Opes in Lennox Head by ? (gosh I wish I could remember her name). Here's a little glimpse of what I mean...

Click here to visit Flora's Site

Flora's art is so full of beautiful colour and shapes - I am hoping that working with her style of art will help me to become freer in my own art.

This is the start of one of my intuitive, abstract artworks. The process relies on collecting your own images, colours that stand out to use at the time, and a lot of playing with shapes, brushes and flowing movements.

The idea is to layer and layer and layer paint without becoming attached to creating an image at first, just allowing yourself to play with paint... it's harder than it sounds, the mind seems to want to 'know' or interpret what is going on.

The next steps after layering quite a few times... are to collect shapes that you find pleasing. Some of the shapes I am using come from nature, shapes that I noticed on my beach walk recently. Feathers, stones, the way water has carved into stones or washed away the sand.

There are quite a few layers to go... here is a close up of what is starting to evolve into ocean, light, bird, flight.

I'll keep on with the process I'm quite inspired by Flora's art as well as many of the other students that emerged from her class.

On this style of art, I really enjoy following Tangerine Dream Gallery and Studio at Cowichan Bay and seeing their latest works. I happened to be at a golfing weekend a while ago and was introduced to someone from Canada. In the course of our chitty chat I happened to mention that I had added a picture of Cowichan Bay to my desktop after seeing a picture online from some artists who had a studio there - he replied 'I live in Cowichan Bay and I know that gallery' - I thought he was pulling my leg... but no he wasn't and after a longer conversation hubby and I ended up with offer of a housesit there next year... I so love these six degrees connections that appear. Talk about follow your dreams - Tangerine Dreams in this case!

Tangerine Dream - Paintings for Food