I had a large post planned for June, complete with charts!
But life has a way of being life-y, so instead I just want to say:
Human beings are complex, lumpy, weirdly gross, and lovable. I am excited for a future where it's ok for kids to just be themselves, and adults don't have to worry about the stuff that we need to worry about now.
I love how our hearts, our changing natures, and our diversity can make our communities strong.
ATC (in progress): Cold wax medium and oils, color shift pigment, pastels
It often seems like people will go to extremes when it comes to learning about the process of art - sign up for every possible class, invest in every possible widget, and buy enough supplies to keep an army of otters occupied for weeks. Or we invest in the bare minimum and stubbornly tell ourselves that we can learn everything we need to know just by force of will and intrepid curiosity.
I have been in both camps, and it seems to depend entirely on how I'm feeling about clutter. If I've stubbed a toe any time in recent memory then refusing to invest in "stuff" is the hill I will, at the very least, get exceptionally frustrated on. I can't say I'd die on it, because dead people don't get to make all that much art.
When I first invested in a tiny sample jar of cold wax medium, it gave my intuition a ZING!
'This is art love!' my intuition said. And then I promptly refused to buy any supplies beyond the tiny sample jar.
Eventually, I realized intrepid curiosity was turning into sour frustration.
It was time to invest in some education.
And that is how I came to invest in Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin.
Friends.
This is a profoundly helpful art instruction book.
It contains everything from detailed instructions, an overview of materials, a history lesson, and long lists of techniques to try.
It seems as if every effect I've admired in others' work is in here, along with instructions for replication. Far from a book that walks you through specific projects in the author's style, the assumption seems to be that the people reading the book have their own techniques and simply want a smorgasbord of new things to try.
I highly recommend it, and I can't wait to continue to experiment.
I hope everyone, whether this is a cherished holiday for you or not, managed to get some time outside with nature.
I've recently finished If You Ask Me by Betty White. And Yes, Please by Amy Poehler. And the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
I recommend all of them.
An itty bitty tiny weeny oil sketch of snake scales.
This was a huge stretch of time without painting. This winter was hard, divorce is hard, even having new and good things can be hard.
I wish I could say it felt great to be painting again. And it did, eventually.
But first, it felt sad and overwhelming, and I felt guilty.
There was a little voice that said to give up and fade away. That it was better to fade away than be judged. But I did not listen.
So I guess if you have a project, a passion, a calling and it's hard to fight momentum, just know that sometimes it's just hard. It's normal. I want people to know when it's difficult to move forward because I don't believe it helps anything to pretend that it's easy.
Being difficult is only bad if you give it permission to be bad. 🤷♀️
I'm proud of you.
We're going to find a way to heal the world.
