It’s time to travel…..

I am off to the School in Olhao Portugal early next week  http://www.artinthealgarve.com Then France for the month of May and after that a wedding in Georgia USA mid June.

I leave you with some sketches and photographs from Portugal….

watercolour/gouache sketch from the Saturday market Olhao Portugal Clare sketching on the Island of Armona – a fifteen minute boat ride from the School. quick watercolour sketch – Culatro island A simple and lovely lunch of grilled fish on the Island of Armona. watercolour – steps in Olhao Portugal The 150 year old olive tree in the School courtyard Olhao Portugal  One of the many characterful faces of Olhao Portugal.     Olhao is a working fishing town. watercolourDancing and music during the Saturday market – Olhao Portugal Rapid watercolour of sun setting in Portugal Jazz at Cantaloupe Jazz Cafe, Olhao Portugal.    Excellent for sketching .A sun drenched wall with trees – Olhao Portugal I leave you with colourful magical hummingbirds….   watercolour/gouacheA bientot

 

 

 

 

 

Watercolour Wednesday

A rapid watercolour from the Boathouse Studio series.

i will be watercolour painting today.     Hope everyone has a lovely Wednesday.

a bientot

Playing with watercolour

A new BBC campaign has begun entitled ‘Get Creative’.  

This is clearly not a new idea….however, in today’s world where just about everyone is plugged into one form of technology or another, and consequently attention spans fragmented and shortened, maybe it’s a good time to be reminded of the incredible benefits that the creative process in all its many forms brings to our lives.

Of all the mediums available to play and experiment with, I have found watercolour painting to be the most soothing.

Watercolours are easy to carry around.      All that is needed is paper, paint, a couple of brushes and water.

Set up a small table, and PLAY – see what happens.     Don’t worry about being right or wrong…just PLAY.

Wishing one and all a magical hummingbird Monday and week ahead.

A bientôt.

The freedom to fly.

A young friend came to visit yesterday, and like so many single parents who work and in this case study, life had become overwhelming.

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the details and distractions which make up our daily lives.    Before we know it, the day becomes so fragmented, that we are no longer able to focus on any one thing.

Having been in the same situation when I was considerably younger, I am able to write about this with conviction.    It wasn’t until I experienced a personal transformation when I was forty that I began to learn about boundaries and positive habit making. 

If we want to fly and experience personal freedoms then we must introduce some structure into our lives.     I have learned that structure brings with it great freedom. 

The question is….where to begin?    

Again, from personal experience I know that if I try to take on too much, it rarely works.    In short I sabotage myself.

The more aware I became of this process, I could see that this was a common thread for many.    For example, people would attend my workshops and get all fired up…..and then after returning to their ‘normal life’ –  the sense of momentum and exhilaration would leave.    What to do?

 

I remember when I began to put structure into my life it wasn’t easy, because I had to start almost afresh.  New thinking, new attitudes and routines.     This also meant putting up some very clear boundaries to others who might not have been on the same path…..probably the most difficult thing of all.

 

It was around this time, that I began to offer my ‘Fifteen minutes a day for one month – Apple Exercise’.    

It is important to note that the principle of this exercise works for just about anything – writing, physical exercise, etc.   

To do this effectively it is important that it is the same fifteen minutes every day and that all distractions, i.e. mobile phones are removed or turned off. 

 

If multiple issues need to be changed….I would suggest only beginning with one thing.

After one month of fifteen minute a day, playful exercises are complete….a new habit will be formed, and with that new habit, will come freedom. 

 

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Bientôt

   

 

 

Taking notes

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

 

 

 

Tutorial 8. Wet brush no paint.

In this short video, I load my big brush with juicy paint, and then making sure to remove all paint from the brush, I use the clean wet brush to pull out the colour.

I am working on a dry surface, and by using this technique, I am able to avoid muddiness, which is the enemy of all water-colour painters:)

Once again I can’t stress how important it is to have a minimum of four pots of clean water always at hand.

A Bientôt