I have always been a a very imaginative and creative person. And never had an issue blue camel or glitter as a kid, not very into realism even back then. I wrote through my teen years and early twenties and dabbled in drawing.
Really it was my mid-twenties that saw me really get into painting. I was very inspired and remain inspired by ancient myths and religions. Painting started out with an art project to make Yule ornaments for my friends. I did moons, icicles and some other cool shapes. They were glazed with thin acrylic paints. They turned out really cool and people loved them.
That was really the catalyst to painting many goddesses and spirals. Some of the stuff I did was huge. I did two giant painting one I gave to someone and they other remains unfinished. Maybe someday I will finish painting Fortune’s moons.
Than I fell away from painting and started quilting. The use of colour and pattern entranced me. It was fun to cut up bits of fabric and sew them up in a beautiful pattern. It also gave Grandma B. and I something to bond over. I sent her a comforter and a hanging quilt as presents. I know she loved both of them.
When Grandma B. died I kind of stopped quilting, slowly. I just lost what was driving me to do it and I didn’t really create much of anything for a long time. I’ve come to realize that being creative and creating art is very much a part of me. Whether it is writing, painting or quilting. I need that creative aspect in my life.
It feels good to have come back to working with paint, acrylics in particular. Acrylics were the first paints I really fell in love with. They are so versatile. You can glaze, do watercolor techniques, impasto, image transfers and so much more. My brain just starts sparking off ideas and techniques to try with acrylic paints and medium. I can’t wait to try them.
I’ve been experimenting with acrylic skins lately. It started off with me doing an elemental pilgrimage and spending a week working with each of the four elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. It made me want to create something that represented my time with them. That project is still in the works. I need to cut up some wood for supports. At least the acrylic skins will be nice and cured by that time.
It is important to remember that creativity changes its focus, it can ebb and flow which means sometimes you are not in control but along for the ride.
