As a kid I was not good at art. As I matured however the creativity started to come. Later in life I can call my self "an artist"!
In 2013 my husband ,who is an oil painter, started showing me how to paint. It was not easy for me and frankly not that fun. I did not know what I was doing. With his "side by side" help I did make 3 paintings. One I even sold. But literally I feel like it was not "my work". I could not have done it without him. So after that I put the brushes down and I got involved in many other art forms. I have done improv, acting, voice over, animation voice over, restored sad furniture, lately the past few years can call myself a potter.
The point of this post is to hopefully inspire anyone who has any desire to explore the arts. Through exploring art I feel we can find our inner world.
As someone who is very much into mental well being I feel whatever we can do to be in "the zone" or in a mindful state is good for the mind, hence good for our entire being and self.
So this is the fun story I must share. I do estate sales on weekends with a great group of ladies. We work in beautiful spaces and re-home beautiful treasures. At one sale in February we were in Chicago and there was one kitchy painting my friend and I loved. After the sale it was going to be donated with some other things that did not sell.
A few days after the sale my friend Kai and I both said "we loved that painting" and wish we would have bought it.
The painting was a Frida Kahlo-esque portrait done very kitchy. It was bold and graphic.
I told Kai. I will paint you one. Like right-"how was I really going to do that". Then I had an idea. I decided I would go to the charity where it was donated. It supported mental health so I thought ok I could retrieve the art and money would go to a good cause and I would copy the painting.
I went there and it was not in the store. A few days later I texted the store and found out the art was in the basement.
I asked them to hold it and I picked it up.
I told my husband the plan. To re-create this art for my friend. He helped me project the image on a canvas and I just made an outline of the shapes in pencil. He gave me my art supplies and I was on my way. This time 11 years later it seemed to flow out of me. I had him help me with colors and he guided me but basically not like before. I was now working in acrylics which is more my speed.
This is the piece from the estate sale that I copied.
This is the finished piece.
I had so much fun doing this and in the end decided to keep the one I painted and give my friend the original. After all, the work I did on the piece I had a connection with. I wanted to keep it because this time I was proud of what I created and owned it.
So now I have one more artistic endeavor to explore. I am going to keep practicing painting and recently have started large canvas abstract work.