A PERFECT PLANET on BBC 1. A must watch.

When I change one tiny section of a ten meter mural…everything is changed.    The rhythm, balance and composition.    The same is true for all of life.

Last night I watched the final episode of ‘A PERFECT PLANET’ on BBC 1.     Once again David Attenborough lays it on the line.    He has warned us over and over again about environmental problems….but this episode is all about US and how HUMAN DESTRUCTION is threatening our beautiful planet.  

It is a must watch. 

watercolour….demonstrating how everything reflects upon everything else. 

Today we find ourselves with many leaders who clearly have no understanding of interconnectedness, rhythm, harmony and balance, and it is these same leaders who are overseeing and governing our collective futures.      We wake each day alert to what new form of madness, they have imposed upon us!     

Meanwhile, our beautiful world becomes more and more unstable……

So many feel a deep sense of frustration and loss.     How can we make a difference?   How can we help to bring some form of equilibrium back into our lives?    . 

Given that our beautiful planet is out of sync – so are we.   Remember all things are interconnected and so when the planet feels pain, so do we. 

Through the creative process in all its many forms, we can begin to heal ourselves and consequently the planet. 

By healing ourselves we heal all that we are connected to. 

I found this on FB yesterday and think it speaks volumes.      Simple ways to make a difference.  

A new tutorial coming up soon.

A Bientôt

Janet

How Creativity and a simple daily plan contribute to holistic wellbeing. Tutorial

Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind and spirit – the recognition that everything we do effects our state of well-being’.   

Through Mother Nature we see how all of life is interconnected. – watercolour

To change one fraction of a painting, – changes the whole painting.     This is true for life….to change one small part of ourselves, (positively or negatively), changes the whole. 

Adding 15 minutes of movement can change our whole day.  (running a marathon is not necessary)

Clearing the space in which we live, can clear our minds…

Without establishing simple routines, our need to be creative can be neglected. 

When we begin to address these simple needs we experience a sense of wellbeing. 

This watercolour exercise demonstrates that as we change one small portion of a painting, or ourselves, everything changes. 

  All the pure whites you see here are ‘dry white paper’.   I am sketching with brush and watercolour allowing some areas to bleed.    This is very quick…don’t overthink things – simply allow the paint to flow.    There is no right or wrong way to do this. 

In this frame I have added a mix of burnt Sienna and prussian blue for the dark area at the bottom of the painting.         Using a knife I have scraped out some of the paint while it is still wet.    All the remaining white areas are ‘Dry White Paper’As we make positive simple changes, stress is replaced with a calmness which supports the whole.     This is holistic well-being.    

Note I have moved the light and darker purples around the painting…in order to achieve a sense of rhythm and balance. 

Make sure to begin with a simple daily plan.    

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15 minutes of creative playfulness can change everything.

Enjoy the weekend. Janet 🙂

It’s time to Open the Doorways to our minds so that we can adapt to our changing world.

capturing shadow play on courtyard steps in Olhao Portugal – watercolour.   Disappearing steps symbolise for me – the unknown….If ever there is a place that is conducive to exploring the creative process….it has been the school in Olhao, Portugal where I have been fortunate enough to teach for quite a few years.      A place I have come to think of as a second home….

Situated in the middle of the old fishing town of  Olhao, and just a few minutes walk from the waterfront, market, shops, cafes, restaurant, etc. this school has allowed those who have visited to completely immerse themselves into the creative process.

After being met by Nuno at Faro airport, 20 minutes later we enter the School house.    It is in this inviting  space that so many freshly cooked meals have been served and enjoyed ….all overseen by the beautiful Margarida and Joanna.   It has also been a place of many interesting conversations and much laughter:)Margarida looking up from one of the lower courtyards.What is it that makes a place conducive to the creative process?    

I believe there needs to be a sense of harmony and cohesiveness.    I find that when people are running all over the place, never settling…there is fragmentation….which in itself can destroy the flow of creative thought and production.

The School has given us this, a sense of harmony and cohesiveness.  

When a new doorway between the School and Pool houses was introduced several years ago there was an immediate sense of further flow and harmony.       Almost like taking a huge gasp of fresh air….

The doorway became a metaphor for opening up creative expression. 

 When teaching I often talk about how changing one tiny part of a painting, changes everything, and so it is true for the doorways of life – we simply have to find and open them.

 

It is now time to open the doorways of our minds.    Time to allow new thinking and creative expression to flow through previously blocked areas.    

Flowers for sale at the Saturday Market.    And of course wonderful fresh fish………..Visits to Armona Island, a fifteen minute boat ride from Olhao, were always very special.      I would like to spend more time on Armona Island.   

150 year old olive tree in main courtyard……a tree synonymous with he School. 

Through the school I have met some wonderful people..and made lasting friendships.     I will always be grateful for the day that David Clark contacted me to see if I would be interested in being one of his tutors.    

Mostly I thank him for his vision which I believe will live on in ways that none of us is creative enough to know about at this time.   

I know that David’s legacy will continue through conversations, paintings, friendships and so much more. 

Thank you David, Camilla, Margarida, Joanna, Nuno (1) and Nuno (2) and I must not forget Carlos who opened up the doorway between the two buildings:) 

I hope to see you all soon in beautiful Olhao. 

Janet. :)X

Creative thinking, personal wellbeing and community.

We need and depend upon one another and our environment so that we can flourish and live meaningful lives, rather than simply existing in our individual pods, hanging on for dear life!

watercolour 

On my recent VIRTUAL trip to Crickhowell, Wales, I spoke about the importance of community many times, and how Crickhowell exemplified that for me.

In October 2005, during a personally challenging time, I had to move from beautiful Crickhowell to London.      Along with the failure of a project that had been very dear to my heart, my elderly Mother who lived in Kent was becoming ill.

watercolour     

In 2008 I found a bolt hole in Hampton SW London….and so brought my Mother from Kent to a nursing home a few minutes walk away.     Prior to this I had been commuting back and forth from London to Kent every week, overseeing nurses and my Mother’s house and garden and at the same time trying my best to keep up with work commitments.

I thought my bolt hole would be a temporary measure – maybe a year or two at the most, after which time I planned to move permanently to France.

Nearly 12 years later I am still here in Hampton,  proving that none of us is ever creative enough to know how things will actually work out…….

watercolour

Although a pandemic has been long predicted by scientists –  we  buried our collective heads.    None of us expected a global pandemic in 2020, let alone the ensuing consequences and fall out.

Just a few short months ago, we had no idea that we would need to let go of all pre-conceived ideas and that our lives on an individual and collective level would change in such dramatic ways?

None of us is ever creative enough to know how things will actually turn out………  

Because of the virus, we have been allowed to stop and think.

Like farmers who allow their land to lie fallow for a period without being sewn in order to restore its fertility…we humans have also been allowed to lie fallow for a short period of time.

Creative thinkers have seen this as an opportunity to make positive changes, which brings me back to Hampton….

After the first lock down I was introduced to The Inspired Hub http://www.theinspiredhub.co.uk           Fortunately for me – right on my doorstep.

During the first lockdown Susan Green (a creative thinker) and Hampton resident along with others had been busily revamping an old building and site.       It is now a place that is very pleasing to the eye, focusing on creative thinking, wellbeing and community……

In short they have turned what is a very challenging situation into a positive.  

Many people have turned to zoom for both social and educational purposes.     I prefer to communicate one on one…and so use Skype to talk with my children and some close friends.

I have been used to working and living alone for many years, but what about those who find themselves feeling cut off and isolated?      What about those who are living in crowded conditions with not enough money to pay the bills or put food on the table?

As 2020 morphs into 2021 perhaps we need to ask ourselves what have we learned from this experience individually and collectively?

All the images in this blog are watercolours…..where I have used small amounts of pigment with lots of water…..plus dry white paper. 

More tutorials to follow…..

Janet.:)

Tutorial (3) – Using a photograph as my jumping off point……Nothing is set in stone.

In my last post – WARMING UP WITH PETER PAUL RUBENS – I mentioned that I would post a tutorial this week using a photograph as my ‘jumping off point’. Purely copying can be informative but often produces – a wooden or dead image….

I remember as a young art student being taken to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London where we would ‘copy’ paintings’ – which I learned was an excellent way to explore signature brush strokes and an artist’s emotional state. It’s a way of learning to ‘read’ paintings.

I was given this image by my friend and fellow artist, Jenny. On its own it is indeed a lovely photograph of a hummingbird seeking nectar. The first think I have to ask myself is – ‘will it read well as a painting?’ Remember we are painters, not photographers and so I feel if I am to copy this or any other image I need to put my own stamp on it and remove elements that don’t work for me.

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I began by making quick sketches – which helps me to ‘see’ more clearly. This is an important part of my ‘thinking’ process…..

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I then turned the images upside down which allows me to see the rhythm and composition in a different way. I suggest doing this with all paintings….

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Once I began to really see it, I realised the photograph was too busy for me. If I am to put my personal stamp on it, I prefer more of a looser more impressionistic outcome.

Using watercolour/gouache and a Tombow Pen I began to explore a different composition. I wanted to introduce warmer colours….and so out came the cadmium orange, Naples yellow and some opera rose gouache.

Note that there is a lot of PLAYING involved in my thought process…..

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When thinking through a composition Gouache works very well because it allows us to paint over and make quick adjustments mirroring our thought process. With the pure transparent watercolour medium this sort of thinking can produce MUD...a watercolorist’s nightmare.

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The bigger picture….

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Given that nothing is set in stone..…I hope this demonstration inspires you to look at photographs you might want to use in a different way.

Remember there is not a right or wrong way. Once we understand that we are freed up to explore the creative process differently.

I will be posting tutorials every week until the time comes that we can all come together again.

Follow the rules and stay safe…and help the NHS

a bientôt – Janet 🙂

Warming up with Peter Paul Rubens –

I am repeating some of my favourite warm up exercise to start this course of tutorials.   I hope that some of you have used  my last post ‘Starting From Scratch’ to get the juices flowing….

The Tiger Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens…..(1615)The Tiger Hunt is one of those paintings that permeates all the senses.     It stirs me deeply.     I can hear the noise of the hunt coming off the canvas.    I can smell the sweat of the warriors and animals.        It is alive.

As in any great masterpiece the rhythm and harmony within this painting can only be achieved when all elements of the artwork come together in a unified manner..

I thought it would be a good exercise to work from a photograph of this painting to help us to see and understand it better and at the same time warm up and get the creative juices flowing.

I used the image of The Tiger Hunt only as a JUMPING OFF POINT. to warm up.  

I was not trying to copy it exactly…this is very important.     Working very quickly using watercolours,  I wanted to explore and discover the rhythmic values in the painting…..

Squint your eyes and try to observe the painting broken down into shapes and colour…

I then copied it down to black and white – which helps us to understand and see the structure of a painting better.  

Using a Prussian. blue and burnt Sienna mix I sketched out a very fast watercolour detail which again helped me to see and understand the image.

If you would prefer, choose an image that you would like to explore – and have some fun.    It’s a good way to begin the day.    At the same time we can learn a great deal about the way an artist thinks.      

Think jigsaw puzzle…abstraction…don’t get caught up in the detail. 

If you do this it will set you up for the day….

Over the weekend I will use this image as my ‘jumping off point’ for a tutorial for next week…..watch this space. 

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a bientôt

Janet.

Starting from scratch…..

There are many ways to SEE an apple….

Yesterday I received this message from a new follower: –

“I would like to learn to paint from you.   Where to start?     I am scared even to pick up a paint brush.”

The person who wrote this is not alone, and so I am prompted to write a post on the subject of starting from scratch and releasing fear.

I came up with the ‘apple exercise’ many years ago because in principle it is simple and effective.

Any materials can be used – most of them can be found in your home or local pound shop.  (you don’t need to go out and purchase expensive paints, brushes and paper)   

I believe that the reason so many people feel a sense of fear and trepidation when they begin to make marks on paper is because we are taught from an early age that what we draw or paint should be perfect and look exactly like our subject.       Striving for perfection can cripple….. 

The first lesson is to WARM UP and PLAY.      PLAYING  and Doodling on inexpensive paper can help us move from a place of fear to a more relaxed and receptive state of mind.       For more seasoned artists it’s an excellent way to move into the day’s work. 

I will demonstrate using this image.      After I sketched the apples,  I ate them:)

Learning  the many different techniques of painting takes years of practise and dedication.       I can’t teach this, but what I can do is encourage and share tools and techniques.   

Getting started is always the hardest part.     It’s like jumping off a cliff.   Once you have done it there is a sense of personal satisfaction and freedom.    The key is to jump off that cliff every day.          

Here are three warm up exercises…..

1.       Pretty much anyone can find an apple and piece of newspaper.

After roughly sketching out the apple and its shadow,  I apply some juicy watercolour.    Remember this is simply to warm up and its only newspaper.   

 2.     Using white paper….I sketch out the shapes. with a felt tip pen.    I then add a little of the same colour to each segment.   I am thinking in shapes rather than apples and shadows – this is very important.    When we paint shadows they always reflect the colour of the object making the shadow.        I have allowed the paint to bleed (run from one colour into another)

3.   I  drew this apple on an orange background which I painted earlier.        I often draw or paint over old sketches to warm up.   I then applied some juicy red paint to the apple and shadow…leaving some of the dry orange background as a highlight on the apple and in the NEGATIVE SPACE –  (the area surrounding the apple and shadow).     Note the thin slither of orange between the apple and the shadow is key in separating the two areas.Using a wet brush I then added Permanent White Gouache  into the background allowing it to merge with the red….This is an exercise of ‘LETTING GO’ – not trying to control the paint but seeing where it takes you.       Watercolour is transparent – Gouache is opaque

TIPS

1. If you can write your signature – you can learn to draw.   You didn’t emerge from the womb knowing how to write…..
2. IGNORE the Chattering Monkeys that clutter your mind with negative nonsense.
3. WARM UP EVERY DAY
4. Use photographs as a JUMPING OFF POINT – don’t become a slave to them.
5. NEGATIVE SPACE – the space surrounding the subject
6. Move colour around the picture to achieve balance and harmony.
7. Everything reflects on everything else.    All of life is interconnected. 
8. Fifteen minutes a day practise can do wonders.
9. ALWAYS CARRY A SKETCH BOOK
10. Painting with children helps us to free up.
11.  OBSERVATON OBSERVATION OBSERVATION…
12. Stay away from negativity….

Observe everything in many different ways.

Go to http://www.youtube.com  (Janet Weight Reed) where you will find some short videos including one of me painting an apple on newspaper.

Most importantly ENJOY the process….and don’t compare what you do to anyone else’s work.    Only compare yourself with your own progress.

Old paperback books are an excellent source of paper……..Think out of the box and be curious.

THINK LIKE A CHILD…….:)

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Growth in Isolation

I first wrote this blog in March right after the first lock down and thought it a good idea to post again.

Here we are nearly one year on and the virus continues to dominate our lives.   This says to me that we need to adapt ourself and lives so that we can stay well in body and mind. Be Prepared….

Having been a self employed artist since 1973, I know what it is to work and live in isolation.

In this post I  am offering some tried and true suggestions taken from my own experience.    (this photograph shows me when I was about 30 years old…at that time my son was nine and my daughter one)

At the moment a lot of people are talking about doing different things on line.   However, almost like New Years resolutions,  I have a feeling that if this goes on for weeks, months or longer the novelty of living this way might dwindle for many and so it is important to be prepared. 

My cottage garden in Wales with Christeve the Cat and friend on shed….This little garden taught me so much, not least of which was patience……A DAILY ROUTINE  

It is important to establish a daily routine that works for you.     Write it down.  

For single people this can be easier given that there are no interruptions.

However,  having raised a family I know what it is to live and work in a very busy household and at the same time stick to schedules. – not easy, therefore structure becomes even more important.

An added plus is that by establishing a good daily routine you could encourage others in your household to do the same.    A learning experience for everyone.

All of this takes a level of self discipline – a word that many people shy away from today.   In reality self discipline equals Freedom….

If I have a good structure in place, it gives me the freedom to do the things I enjoy most….painting, cooking, writing, sitting under a tree and meditating…..

watercolour/guachePURPOSE

Make sure there is a purpose to your day.

I knew when I went to bed last night that my purpose today would be to write this blog along with some watercolour painting,  reading a good book, and then catching up with my murder mysteries on I player this afternoon:)

However, someone else’s purpose might be to cook a lovely meal or do a jigsaw puzzle.   There are no rules, except to make sure you have a purpose.

Don’t wonder aimlessly through each day….this can only cause frustration and distress. 

Beautiful Brecon Beacons – Wales – watercolour/gouacheEXERCISE

My daily exercise routine is fifteen minutes of stretching every morning.   I have been doing this for nearly 45 years, since my daughter was born.    It’s like brushing my teeth and makes a huge difference to my day and overall feelings of well being.

Throughout the day I take a walk and make sure to move around…i.e. going up and down the steps several times that lead to my studio.

Play music and dance…..guaranteed to lift the spirits.

watercolour/gouache

PREPARATION – BE PREPARED

Set up a space that works for you.    It can be as small as a card table.  (no one else in the house is allowed to use that space).

If you have work equipment, (for me my arts supplies) make sure everything is in order and easy to access.

Choose the best time of day for you to go to your work space.   Make it a ritual. 

Air circulation

Try to keep air circulation within your living space.    Always have a window open….and if possible have some plants to look after and benefit from. .

DAILY SIESTA

I will soon be 75 years old, and thankfully am in good physical and mental health, and part of that I believe has to do with my stretching routine and taking a daily siesta.    For me that’s around  3 p.m. and lasts for approx 30 mins.    It never fails to refresh.

My work day begins at 8 a.m. and pretty much finishes at 3 p.m.   After that I watch my favourite European box sets….and murder mysteries…Oh how I love them.      Then maybe in the evening read or write some personal e mails. or whatever else floats my boat………

SLEEP

Sleep is so important – and particularly today to boost the immune system.

To achieve a good sleeping pattern it is important to understand our own personal body clock.

I am naturally a morning person…and so wake with the larks, and go to bed at 10 p.m.    I like to read before going to sleep.

Diet

Keep it simple….which during the next few months shouldn’t be too difficult.

Although I have lived alone for a long time, I always cook for myself.    More than ever nutritional food and drinking lots of water will be key during this period.

Millie visiting the studio…:)

Back to the title of this blog….

BEAUTY, GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY IN ISOLATION 

I see this time as an opportunity for individual and collective change.   If we are able to turn this around into a positive and use this time to FOCUS on what it is we love and who we really are…..we might all come out of this a lot stronger and happier and find that we have produced some beautiful work……

I will be posting art tips and tutorials on a regular basis so that everyone (including me) can keep their creative juices flowing.      

More than every before it is vital to stay in the simplicity of the present moment.    ONE DAY AT A TIME…..

ACCEPTANCE will be key during this period.     Denial won’t work anymore….

May the magical hummingbirds be with everyone….spreading their unseen magic.

Oh and I couldn’t close without saying – continue to WASH your HANDS and to SOCIAL DISTANCE…….:)

A Bientôt

Over the years I had to accommodate

I had my first large solo exhibition at the Chester County Arts Association in 1976 – a year after my daughter was born.

Wishing one and all a Christmas filled with love and peace.

Sitting between mountains and watched by the moon, with hummingbirds weaving their love, sits the magical town of Crickadoon.

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On Christmas Eve in 1996 during a terrible storm a little cat arrived at the door of Janet the Artist where she found her new home.

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Janet named the little cat Christeve because she arrived on Christmas Eve.

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Janet the Artist and Christeve the Cat wish everyone a loving and peaceful Christmas. May we all hold hope in our hearts that 2021 is a kinder year……and most importantly let it be a year when we come together and help one another.

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Janet:)

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Traditional English Christmas Cake story – sustaining life and enhancing international relations…….

The following is a true story about my Mother’s traditional English Christmas Cake…and how it saved my life and helped to sustain others….:and at the same time enhanced international relations………:)

In 1960 when I was 16 years old, my parents sent me to Holland for the summer.    Travelling by ferry and train,  I was to stay with friends who lived in the countryside outside of Eindhoven.

Before leaving my Mother made sure to pack some of her traditional Christmas Cake into my suitcase.     No matter where I went this always happened.   It was my Mother’s theory that if I got lost, or ran out of food, her cake would sustain me.

A traditional English Christmas Cake For those who are not familiar with traditional English Christmas Cake – a little more information.

My Mother made the cake months before Christmas every year.    All manner of fruits and spices were mixed and liberally doused with brandy in order to preserve the cake.

During the several month standing process the cake would be fed with more alcohol during two week intervals…..then wrapped in a cheese cloth and put into a north facing pantry to settle.    About two weeks before Christmas the cake would be covered in marzipan along with a  thick white icing resembling snow….and then Christmas decorations added.

Given that the cake was very rich….there was always quite a lot left over….plus my Mother would make two cakes at a time….leaving one un-iced, filled with booze, waiting for any natural or man made disasters to occur!After a wonderful summer in Holland…swimming in canals with local children, riding bicycles around the countryside – stopping at farms where we were given the most delicious fresh cheese and milk straight from the cow, and of course sketching…..even back then I carried a sketch book with me.        Alas, it was time to return home.

This was the sort of canal we swam in…I was put on a train heading towards the Ferry port at Calais France.       

I am not sure when I realised that something was wrong…..I suppose when I arrived in Germany!!

In those days it was quite normal for trains to split – one end going to one country and the other to another, and this is what had happened.    I got on the wrong end of the train.

This meant getting back on the right train, and then arriving at the Calais Ferry Terminal far too late to catch the ferry that my parents would be meeting me from at the Dover Ferry Terminal – which in turn meant a long wait.

And this is where Mother’s Traditional English Christmas Cake came into its own.

Calais France Ferry Terminal – just 29.4 miles from Dover UK. When I arrived at the Calais Terminal I joined many other young people from all around Europe sitting on the floor waiting for ferries.

Remember this was many years before fast food, mobile phones, and of course the Euro Star train – everything was simple and basic.

I was hungry as were many of my fellow travellers.      I removed the tin containing Mother’s English Christmas Cake from my suit case and shared it with young people from around Europe.      The Christmas cake brought us together. 

Ferry docking at Dover Ferry Terminal       After docking at the Dover Ferry Terminal, I found a policeman waiting for me.      Clearly alerts had been sent out…..

The policeman took me and a young German boy I had befriended to the Dover Police Station.     There we were given a slap up breakfast while we waited for my parents to arrive.      I had assured the German boy that my parents would give him a lift to Canterbury and then he could hitch hike on to London.       The German boy and I kept in touch for many years.

So what’s the moral of this story?

Be Prepared and always carry extra food – especially traditional English Christmas Cake. 

(I was reminded of my story when recently a 100 year old fruit cake was found in Antarctica – perfectly preserved.     I rest my case. )

In this watercolour image, Christie the Cat looks down onto the Magical Town of Crickadoon (AKA Crickhowell Wales) hoping to find a home of her own.  

I hope everyone enjoys a lovely holiday season and that we can all help one another during these difficult times.     Janet 🙂

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