Bold

 

I've been enjoying working on paper larger than my usual journal size recently. These are loose sheets of paper and I've taped off the border and then had fun splashing the paint around. It's amazing how different a border can make things look. Peeling off the tape after finishing a page is such great fun as the work suddenly feels deeper, as if it goes back into the page. 

The bold strokes on this page are done with a wider brush - another departure from in my journal. Plus there is a lot of brayer work in the background layers. I'm not sure where these pieces are going at the moment, so I'm just enjoying the play.

Loud and urgent

 

Loud and urgent are not the same as important and useful.

Lots of things are loud in our life, all shouting for our attention. All that noise can make it seem like these things are urgent, but are they really? When the noise is coming from all directions it can be difficult to single out those things that are truly important from the drama queens and kings. 

Most things don't need to be dealt with immediately. There is time to take a breath and really listen to work out what is important and useful. Yes, the urgent needs to be seen to in good time, but a few seconds to triage is time well spent.

Tradition, and mixed media work for sale

Tradition - peer pressure from dead people.

I saw this on someone's instagram post and it made me laugh. As a clergy wife I hit the 'tradition' argument quite a lot. 'But we've always done it this way' doesn't mean it's the best, most convenient, or most efficient way to do things. Often it really isn't any of those things, it's just the most comfortable because it is familiar. Familiar and comfortable is all very well, but it doesn't always allow for growth.

And something that is new for me, and an area of growth as I learned a new process - I have some pieces for sale at shopsala.com.au 

 

Still growing

 

Through wind and storm, still we grow.

We are going through a heatwave here in Adelaide at the moment, but things are still growing.  It's not just the heat but the strong winds that go with it, drying foliage and sucking fruits dry. Making sure to water early in the morning and sometimes at night as well keeps those plants going that are going to feed me. 

The same is true for ourselves. When the storm comes up and the wind blows, we need to make sure to 'water' ourselves so that we survive and still grow. It can be easy to neglect ourselves when things are turbulent, but that is the time when we need watering the most. 

Growth is always possible, even in difficult circumstances.

Straitjackets

 When you've worn a straitjacket for so long, you don't realise how hampered you are.

We get used to our circumstances and to the restrictions that may be on us. We get used to doing things the way we've always done them. It isn't until someone new comes along who questions the way things are being done that we might see our way to a new freedom - if we're prepared to listen. 

Unfortunately, we sometimes decide to cling on to the straitjacket because we have grown comfortable in it. Anyone looking in from the outside finds it difficult to understand why you're not delighted to divest yourself of the straitjacket and relish the new freedom of movement. 

Doing new things can be scary, but staying as we are is stagnation.