watercolor painting of boatyard by emily weil

daily painting | papery poppy

I keep going back to these papery poppies I photographed on a hike. This particular view of them seems hopeful as the blossoms are so wide open, which is what I aspire to. An open heart, open mind, open being. Though I’m certain you are likely quite fatigued with my writings about grief, painting this scene helped me get through a rough week; I want to heal and not be bitter. I acknowledge being angry and frustrated and sad and I want these feelings to keep moving through me so that I don’t attach myself to them. These emotions do pass — like clouds drifting overhead. The trick is to let them storm through, then let them go and enjoy the fresh air that follows. The tears still come easily, and I let them (just checked my Kleenex supply). And my moments of pain and loss are peppered with lovely joys that come unexpectedly — a new species of bird at my feeder, a red shouldered hawk flying overhead as I do volunteer chores in Marin, a warm and understanding friend. And bike rides and yoga and Zoom Zumba and a bowl of cereal with fresh strawberries and trying a new roasted eggplant soup recipe. Life is juicy. Happy Easter.

12″ x 9″ watercolor, pen, acrylic ink on paper = $140

 

 

 

daily painting | poppies demo

It was my privilege yesterday to do a Zoom watercolor demo offered by Frank Bette Center for the Arts in Alameda. I was so nervous at the beginning! I couldn’t get my phone to function properly to video my work area but we figured it out. My brain stops working when I’m anxious, but then I started to relax; I am learning how to let go of nervousness when people watch me paint and draw. I worked on two paintings, so I could paint on one piece while waiting for the 2nd one to dry, and so on. I did the drawing first for this painting with sticks and black acrylic ink, working from a photo of poppies in Tilden Park, taken during a lovely hike last year. I started painting #2 with a fountain pen drawing from a photo of begonias, but that one was not successful and too busy. The sticks method keeps things looser, less rigid and I liked how this turned out, wanting the white, papery flowers to stay simple and less worried-over. Must do more sticks work! It’s fun, keeps me relaxed, and the final work is less fussy. It’s always good, from my viewpoint, to play with the media and not worry about end results. To create from a place deep inside myself. If I am aiming for a keeper, I produce crap. The pressure was on to create a work that the Center could auction, so this was kind of a happy accident. It was sold during the Zoom demo and I am honored to have had this experience. Watch this space as I start to create my own painting demos which will be posted on YouTube. I also will be offering classes on video for sale. Thanks for reading!

10″ x 10″ watercolor, sticks-and-ink, acrylic ink on paper