Although I love to work on large oil paintings, over the years watercolour painting has become a constant companion for me. Easy to carry when travelling and a superb medium for warming up and taking notes.
I have been writing my blog for seven years. Before e mail, I wrote letters almost every day, and I keep sketch books which are full of images and words, however it wasn’t until I decided to write a book, that I realised I needed to approach things in a different way.
I have been mulling this over for quite some time, and then I was reminded of a workshop I gave years ago in the beautiful Hereford countryside where one of the participants felt totally overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape……Her question was – How to start?
I suggested that she observe a lovely old door which was part of a barn….and start there. By the end of the weekend, she had put together about 20 sketches or vignettes within the landscape.
These notes and gathering of information ultimately gave her a much greater understanding of the total landscape, and where she wanted to take her work.
For a long time I was focusing on the idea of writing an autobiography and then more recently I realised that I want total freedom of expression in my writing as in my watercolour painting, and so decided that I would write a novel.
Initially, much like the woman in my Herefordshire workshop….the big picture seemed overwhelming, and then I began to approach things as I would my painting…..
For me the process works better if I have a hard copy, and so each day as thoughts come, I jot them down and print out. Thus far I have compiled a stack of notes, which are beginning to make sense.
In short, I am learning a new habit….clearly I need to consult my Apple Exercise book:)
http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk
A Bientôt
