Acrylic floral painting on a vibrant red canvas
This piece has been in the works for a few weeks. I’ve been wanting to get to it but keep procrastinating, and was just so hard to make time for it. One evening before dinner, I decided to go down to the basement and throw pure red acrylic paint onto a canvas. This was very low pressure and made me feel instant success!
A few weeks ago to get the ball rolling, I challenged myself to use only the three primary colors to create three separate canvases, red, blue, and yellow. I’ve completed the blue and yellow, and Ive been itching to play with the red primary. I’m not sure why I chose these colors, it was just an easy assignment to give myself and the process has been really enjoyable. There’s no rush at all. Sometimes, I’ll have just five extra minutes in the morning to run downstairs and make a mark. Each moment I have I add something new. One day it was yellow circles.
I had these round looking sponge tools and quickly squeezed some yellow paint onto a paper plate and used the tool to stamp yellow circles onto the red background. I had a smaller circle aswell and the following day or few days later added the blue. This morning I started adding some white lines. 
Here is a close up of some of the details. Looking at these close ups I almost want to recreate these cropped versions on an entirely new canvas.
Funny how things are organically created this way. I love how I had no plans for this piece. My goal was to get some painting into my days and have some fun. These aren’t even colors I have around my home. Not anything I’d buy or hang. My house is very white and neutral, with the only color coming from my blue velvet couch in the front room, or down in the basement where all my paints and most of Liam’s toys are located. I guess the inner me enjoys these pops of color, since that’s what my intuition has been guiding me to use.
I’m looking to play with these colors freely, paint like a child, and not worry about the outcome. This is definitely an ongoing process and I’m so curious to see how this plays out.
I couldn’t decide on a color for him, so I thought, why not use the colors from the color wheel? That’s how Bart was created. I wanted to add some patterns and lines, so I hole-punched the plate and used pipe cleaners for his hair, alternating between blue and pink. You can see some wiggly, spiral lines that make up Bart’s hair. As I continued working, I considered other elements like shape and color. I started using complementary colors to form his body. I added accordion-folded blue arms and a yellow square for his upper body, along with a blue and green pattern for the bottom of his pink pants. I also added three buttons to his shirt and a square for his belt buckle, and I used pipe cleaners for his eyebrows and ears. There’s so much more I could have added but I also didn’t want to overdo it.
I love how this piece turned out. My intention was to play with the three primary colors, yellow, red, and blue. I felt happy and energetic when I started working on it. I began early one morning, before the school or workday began, by applying some yellow acrylic paint. That was all I did at first, and then I left it alone.
Over the years, I have curated a collection of art supplies, including acrylic paints, oil pastels, Posca pens, Kwik Stix, colored tissue paper, pens, markers, crayons, canvases, all kinds of books about art and sketchbooks—
I’ve got it all! The one thing I need to focus on now is making more art myself. I loved art as a child, but I never had supplies like these, and I often wonder what I could have created if I had more opportunities. I’ve been creative my whole life, but when I had children, my focus shifted to providing materials for them to create with. Now, 
I have everything I need to sit down and create, and I even have a wonderful art space in the basement. I wish we had that when the kids were younger, but it’s nice to see all the marks, scratches, and paint left on our table from the many years of art they created.
My excuse most days is that I’m a busy mom with no time, but the truth is, I just need to create something, and that doesn’t require much time. I only need a few minutes each day. Above all, I need to ignite a spark! Like that day on the porch! I embraced the moment and went for it.
I have been craving time to paint this whole summer. With all of the kids home, I was constantly distracted or just completely unfocused, almost frozen, like I couldn’t start painting because I knew I’d be interrupted or pulled away by someone or something, so I never even set out my paints or canvases. But last night I was thinking to myself, “Hey, just take out a canvas and when you get home from work, just make a mark! So when I got home, I settled in, checked that everyone was ok and busy with their own thing. I grabbed my canvas and paints, and snuck out to the porch and let my intuition guide my color selection and brush strokes. It felt so good to feel my hands glide up and down and watch the paint color the canvas. I had no intentions, no idea what I wanted to put there, but as soon as I opened my art caddy, my hand reached for the blue acrylic paint and a large brush, and it danced across the canvas. Next, it called a lighter blue, then a purple, followed by a gold, and they each took turns gliding and dancing across the canvas, working together to create a field of color. I found bubble wrap in my caddy, dipped it in the paint, and added some marks onto the canvas. I also grabbed a palette knife and made some marks with that. Just gliding my hand up and down, adding the blue paint, already felt like success. I had no agenda, no plan, I just wanted to make some marks with paint and a brush, and that’s what I did. As usual, my husband tried to find images in the painting, searching for meaning and logic, he can’t just enjoy the beauty of the marks. I, on the other hand, see the beauty of the colors playing together, mingling with no pressure to be anything more than what they are. I might add some line work, I’m not sure yet. For now, I feel like it’s finished, and I feel satisfied. I have no intention of displaying this canvas. It’s not my style and never anything I would purchase. This was all about the process. I was not trying to get anywhere or create a product this was just an exercise for my soul, and wow, did I feel satisfied at the end of the day! 
This year, he added garden boxes, which helped complete the coop. I love it so much! We planted wildflowers in the raised wooden planter, and it brings me such joy to watch the flowers grow and bloom every day. Each morning, I discover a new little gem. The flowers are small but full of vibrant color. I absolutely love them!
Spring and summer are such inspiring seasons for me. I don’t have to go far, the blooms and beauty that surrounds my home is breathtaking. 
I tell my son “ god is an artist” and he says “how do you know?” And I say “ look around. Look at all of these colors, who else could create such beautiful things!”
Some times it’s all so overwhelming! I want to capture each and every shape and color and I have to pause and remind myself that it’s already in front of me and there’s nothing to capture, I just need to sit back and enjoy it! 
So many nooks and crannies to discover and get lost in! This to me is the best childhood playground! Greens so vibrant and breathtaking! It’s like standing in a library of books and wanting to read each and every book. I stand here and I want to look at every growing thing, up close and personal and there’s just not enough time. Or is there, and we just don’t make enough time for it? Sitting down and using what’s around me for inspiration has allowed me to slow down a little and make more time for observations and appreciation for the beauty that nature provides. 
