Fire Bird & Making Time

Fire Bird, a photo by megan_n_smith_99 on Flickr.

First I want to share a link with you from Anne Lamott who I love to little tiny pieces. (but I leave all the pieces attached.) Anne Lamott on Finding Time.

Actually, are finding time and making time the same thing? Not exactly. I need to think about that. It's ironic that I am talking about this on my blog because it mentions how being hype-rconnected on-line eats at creative time. This is something I try to be aware of, and I've cut down my list of daily reads to make more time to draw, paint, read, heck even just sit. Sometimes just sitting is much more nourishing than say, reading Regretsy. Actually, Regretsy has gotten a bit less funny and a bit more mean and I am well served by sitting instead of reading it.

I am not saying not to connect on-line. I suspect many of my readers are loner-artists like myself who have had a hard time finding members of their tribe in their home towns but have connected with amazing people on-line. I am just saying to be aware of how much time you are spending and then decide if that's ok with you. I know I am way better off taking a 10-minute walk than, say, playing three games of boggle on my phone. Please don't tell my phone, it will be heartbroken.

So, having gotten through that.. Here is another of my paintings. I actually achieved a goal here - using less colors. I have so many great colors and sometimes I try to use them all at once and it does not always work. Or it works but the piece would be stronger if I did not use so many colors. I actually bought some new small-palette to use with specific carefully chosen colors. I use Daniel Smith watercolors. Some of the colors I used here are: Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Magenta, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Cobalt Blue Violet, French Ultramarine and Phthalo Turquoise. I think there was a purple or 2 in there but I am not sure which ones since I mixed them. DS has some really nice purples.

Fire Bird
8 x 8"
Watercolor and ink on paper
Available on Etsy.