Detail, depth, and determination to finish large paintings with a tiny paintbrush takes a lot of patience along with multiple hours of time. The importance of play while simultaneously working diligently is mandatory for me. When I let the water lead me and colors inspire my sketchbooks, I find a more relaxing atmosphere for my larger works. Play also consists of getting outside and roaming trails with my family. I recently got a backpack for our child and we have started going on new adventures together. To watch the play and imagination of a child is very special and inspiring. The other day, she found rocks on the trail and was so fascinated with them. We spent a good amount of time just feeling the textures and talking about them. I was so excited to sketch when I arrived home and found myself using deep oranges as well as reds from what we saw in the sandstone on our hike. I felt rejuvenated through playing around with my palette, watching the water bleed and flow in my sketchbook, then drawing with ink over some of the paint.
My new painting has no ink and does not need the hues I was driven by for my sketchbook, but it was fun nonetheless. It also gave me the extra jolt I needed to proceed with motivation. Currently, I am working on multiple paintings and one of them does have some Scarlet Lake, Alizarin Crimson, and some oranges interlaid throughout the work. The painting I am writing about may be the one for my September newsletter due to the recent inspiration on our hiking explorations. We shall see. Until then, I would love to hear what you do for “play.” Whether it is artistically, physically, or mentally. When I need a break from sketching as well, I find baking and cooking to be quite enjoyable. I play around in the kitchen often. This is another form of creativity for me and I get to eat what we make which is very enjoyable. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!
-Karen Hilliard