Events, mistakes and Paintings!

A lot has happened since I launched my website. I held a ‘paint and sip’ fundraising event for my son’s rugby team. It was a brilliant night, and everyone really enjoyed it. It was the first time I had done something like that, and I was so pleased with how the event ran.

I demonstrated how to paint a seascape on the coasters, it was the first time I had painted in front of people! I was nervous but I just went with it, and they really enjoyed listening to my tips, techniques and answering any questions they had. I will run another event soon! So, if you live near the Portsmouth, UK area, keep an eye out for it.

I made a grammar mistake with my little thank you cards. I was so annoyed with myself, and it was my daughter who noticed on the night as I was writing them out. It was too late to amend them, and I thought about crossing the “your” out and replacing with “you’re”. I think that would have looked very scruffy! I take a lot of pride in my work and hate the thought of mistakes, but this is one of my flaws. I strive for perfection and whilst that is good, making a mistake is not the end of the world. I think a few years ago, I would not have handed out the cards and thrown them away. 

For the past few weeks, I have not had the time to paint! I normally paint once a day, even if it’s just for 30 mins. I’ve been so busy with work, fundraising and the website, that the very thing that I’m most passionate about has been neglected. A couple of nights ago, I decided to paint, and it was one disaster after another. The result was just a mess. I felt quite despondent and that I had lost the ability to paint. I didn’t attempt to paint, and I just decided to have a break from the website and anything creative. Netflix series are great for binge watching. I then spent an afternoon tidying my art area. It took me so long as I decided that my brushes needed to be organised by type and size! They also needed cleaning. I love using oil paints, but they are very messy! Once finished I thought I would paint, not trying to get anything finished, just some time having fun and trying out new things. 90 mins flew past, and I had a seascape finished. That is the first time I have completed a painting in one sitting. Normally, I always paint a painting over a period of time. Sometimes weeks can pass in between each session. I have so many paintings that are half done! Some I don’t think I will ever complete. So, the fact that I completed a painting in its entirety is a big achievement for me! I then painted another!   It felt so good to complete a painting in one sitting. So, the next day I had been busy, and I wanted to paint, but felt too tired to paint anything seriously. So, I thought I would try new colour mixing, and different brush techniques. I was really pleased with how the scene was progressing and before I knew it, my one lonely cloud became a feature amongst the sky. I then started the horizon line, and I was so close to making it a seascape! I resisted and changed the normally straight line for hills. I then kept going and created the depth in the painting, adding a lake, and grass in the foreground. I was so pleased with my landscape! I am keeping this painting as it is an important stage in my art development; being able to paint a completed painting in one sitting and doing something that was out of my comfort zone.