All posts tagged: motivation

When you feel sad…

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So I haven’t been able to paint much lately. I’m a huge animal lover, and just lost one of my guinea pigs to genetic kidney disease. It was heart breaking to me.  Why am I telling you this? Well because it caused serious ‘artists block’.  I’m sure LOADS of people have experienced this sticky, blurry, head fuzz that decides to sit in your brain from time to time. For me it comes along when I feel sad. I don’t think there’s a cure, I think you just have to harness the bad and turn it into good. So I’m working on a whole new collection of paintings based on the unique little characters of animals, and the happiness they can bring us. Bit different to my previous landscapes, but art is a journey…as are the stories from our lives that enrich our work 👌 This collection will be  for you, Jelly Bean.

A new perspective

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I’m currently working on this painting.  Whilst I began with bundles of enthusiasm for a moment I seemed to have hit a wall with where I wanted to take the piece.  I couldn’t decide if I loved it or HATED it.  Artists can often get ‘too close’ to their work to really understand how the image is progressing. I know I often go into ‘perfectionist mode’ too soon into the painting and become impatient.  I have an image of how I want the painting to be and I want it to get there NOW! Of course we all know that you can’t rush art 🙄 Sometimes in art (and life) simply looking at something from a new perspective gives the image a whole new feel, and provides us with a fresh new wave of enthusiasm for the work.  If you are struggling with a painting, turn it upside down and look at it.  Stare  at in the mirror, or simply capture it from the most awkward or interesting angle you can manage.  It really helps …

Life changing thoughts

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“To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.” – Alan Watts. “No one is more dangerously insane than one who is sane all the time: he is like a steel bridge without flexibility, and the order of his life is rigid and brittle.” – Alan Watts. “We do not “come into” this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.” – Alan Watts. “…tomorrow and plans for tomorrow can have no significance at all unless you are in full contact with the reality of the present, since it is in the present and only in the present that you live.” – Alan Watts

Things that bring a smile to your face

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Life is beautiful, extraordinary, and filled with opportunities.  We all know that right? But sometimes, just sometimes, life can provide barriers (obstacles if you will) that serve to compete with the path of happiness we all so wish to skip along.  It can throw up irritating little hurdles that you just have to hop over and carry on  as you dance along your merry way.  At least that’s the slant on life I try my best to uphold.  It’s not easy, and sometimes it can be a downright battle when you feel like you are constantly trying to push, heave and kick obstacles out of your way like a relentless Ninja.  But even a Ninja has down days right?! Anyway, today was one of those days for me.  But do you know what really cheered me up when I was feeling a bit fed up? This picture of my Dog Harvey (left) and his friend Harvey (right).  Whilst on the surface this is a silly picture of two bemused dogs with towels on their heads, …

Where Do You Find Peace?

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There is something about a beautiful tree at a riverside with the sunshine dancing though the leaves.  I can’t explain how beautiful I find it.  It is one of the places that makes me feel most peaceful.  So I have started to paint my favourite place.  This is where I am so far.  What makes you feel peaceful?

Painting a cuddle from the past- A treasured commission

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One of the greatest joys of being an artist is painting something that not only makes you happy, but makes others very happy too.  For me, there is no greater satisfaction in life than painting something that truly puts a smile on somebody’s face (as cheesy as that may sound). A few months ago I received an email from a lady who was interested in commissioning a painting of someone very special to her. It would be in memory of her little girl who sadly passed away from brain cancer several years ago.  She hoped that I would be able to paint an image that would capture her daughter’s spirit.  From her lovely emails which described this bubbly and unique little girl who adored purple, glitter and the beach, I knew I had my work cut out.  But being asked to capture such a beautiful image of such a special little girl was a gift I was completely honoured by.  So I put a brush to canvas, and I got to work.  Here is the …

Pictures can speak a thousand words…

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Firstly,  I need to apologise for my extreme lack of blog posts lately- the only excuse I have is that I have been a really busy little bee with paintings and commissions, and I do all of this whilst juggling my time around a full time day job like a wizard. They say that a picture can speak a thousand words, so to save you a bit of reading time I thought I would let my colourful new works do the talking.  I hope that you enjoy 🙂 I will be writing a bit about the stories behind each commission over my next few posts, so keep an eye out.  People have the most beautiful reasons for commissioning original artwork, and it’s a process that I love to be a part of.

We Have No Time To Stop And Stare

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  What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty’s glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this is if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. –William Henry Davies