Living - What Does This Mean?

I have always noticed that I don't paint unless I am joyful. If I am overwhelmed by the speed and weight of life, those paints stay in their tubes, the canvasses remain in storage and my creativity is muted.

If you have been following this blog, you probably realize that I have found joy in the process of living as opposed to pinning happiness on the outcome. It's an "IF-THEN" logic that never works.

Interestingly, much of this exciting realization came in parallel with my discovering sprouting. A  huge and powerful realization has continued so that I feel and see and believe that life is joyful - no matter the circumstance. Fact is, there are times when people are suffering and joy simply isn't in sight. On the other hand, there are many who live in circumstances that are utterly oppressing and find joy.

So I can only speak about my own experience.

LIVING

So as I have found this joy, I brought out the oils and decided that my wife would enjoy a gift as long as the subject was pleasing to her. So I found a painting that I knew she would love and began to paint with a view to making a real gift and one that she could hang on the wall and enjoy it.

I chose a Kinkade that I thought she would like.

And off I went, painting. Underpainting actually but painting never-the-less. But the face is, I haven't painted in years. So clearly, I am choosing activities that connect me and find a degree of expression. So here is my first underpainting of what I call, "Eve's Cabin".

As you can see, the cabin is in the lower left with a mountain and lake and trees framing it. I started by grabbing a charcoal pencil and drawing this scene from the Kinkade painting.

This morning I painted more underpainting to all for a show through or visibility of what can shine through, as it were.

As you can see, the storm cloud underpainting in the upper left was put in as well as lighter clouds from that storm were put in on the left. I also added more yellow to reinforce it when I paint their foreground. Regarding the seemingly mess shapes in the cabin in yellow, those will be more properly shaped once the cabin logs is is painted.

You may notice that I also lightened the mountain and the foreground with a hue of yellow/gold. The idea here is that I will probably lay down four more layers before I get to the dry brush details.

EXPRESSIONS & GIFTS

I just want to say a word about the importance of expressing yourself. You are unique and exciting and spirit and life. It's about you. So be yourself and learn to find peace and joy in "being".

For me, this means sharing and giving and art.

More on this painting as it progresses.