Picasso

It took me four years to paint like Raphael,

but a lifetime to paint like a child.

Pablo Picasso

Picasso - painted last night.

Watercolor on paper.

Sometimes, I just feel like copying what i see.

No big revelations

or  inspirations

or color combinations.

(hey, that could be a song...)

;-)

I just paint what i see.

Don't you love the texture in this paper?

Paper makes all the difference in the world.

i can paint with dollar store paints,

but the paper needs to be top notch.

Especially for watercolors.

By the way, do you ever check the stats on your blog

to see how many visitors you've had in a day?

Well, i do.

Here are my stats for the day so far...

Isn't that amazing?

That technology allows us

not only to connect with one another

on this huge blue ball in the sky,

but to KNOW who we're connecting with!

When i first began to blog

i told myself it didn't make a difference 

whether people visited or not.

That i was doing this for myself,

to get more comfortable

with putting my work out there.

But there's more to it now.

It does matter.

You do matter to me.

It was a strange feeling

when i first saw that i had visitors

from all over the world.

Something magical happens

when you realize you've just communicated

with someone in Taiwan,

or Russia,

or the UK

or India...

At least it's magical for me.

So thank you to all you lovely visitors,

whether you comment or not.

It melts my heart

to know that someone out there

may be inspired

by my words or my art.

I hope it's you.

:-)

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

wherever you happen to be in the world.

xoxo

I am linking this to Paint Party Friday,
Creative Every Day
and for the first time ever,
Illustration Friday

Come on over and check out
some of the great stuff there!

obsolete world, Giving hARTS and funny book

i LOVE surprises in the mail.

Well, ok, this one wasn't a total surprise,

since i'm the one who bought it on ETSY a few weeks ago.

:-)

i love the work of Jeannie L. Paske,

from Obsolete World. 

I bought this cute little print a few weeks ago called

Flight of the recently departed.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Watercolor, charcoal, pastel and ink.

Some things just speak to us louder than others.

This was one of those things.

And she sent these other lovely things

along with the print.

So precious and kind of her...

On another note,

I did this one last night, 

to be donated to a charity for cancer.

Not quite done, but i thought i'd post anyway.

And on yet another note!

(just cause i don't want anyone to get bored here)...

this cute little drawing was given to me a while back,

by a little boy in the 3rd or 4th grade, 

when i was doing an art project with children

 in the local elementary schools.

So precious, isn't it?

I was so amazed 

at how little encouragement they needed

to get all excited about art,

and reach for the stars.

For many of them,

you just knew in your heart

that they heard more criticism at home

than praise.

I made sure to tell them every day

that they were all fabulous artists

and important to the world.

:-)

On the last day,

many of them gave me little drawings like this one,

and despite the misspelled name,

i love these little drawings

as much as the prints i buy on ETSY. :-)

ok, so let's end this one with a bang,

shall we?

I got this in the mail yesterday

from a great friend.

A cute little book with vintage photos and text

that had me laughing all morning.

Yeah, i think we should all have cocktails,

does everyone agree?

;-)

sad girl and Rainer Maria Rilke

hi there.

Feeling a little off today,

so no words of wisdom.

Here's what i painted this morning.

(acrylic and charcoal on watercolor paper)

There's a quote by Picasso that i love:

Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. 

So this morning,

i felt like connecting to the artist i may have been

as a child.

It's a real challenge for me to let go of control

and paint from a place of innocence

rather than judgement.

I do like her...

...and her red shoes. :-)

I may have shared this with you already,

but i'm doing it again.

I read these words often,

by Rainer Maria Rilke

the genius poet.

His words comfort me

in times of doubt,

more than any other words ever do.

*****

Your work needs to be independent of others' work.

You must not compare yourself to others.

No one can help you. You have to help yourself.

Criticism leads to misunderstandings and defeatism.

Work from necessity and your compulsion to do it.

Work on what you know and what you are sure you love.

Don't observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.

Don't let yourself be controlled by too much irony.

Live in and love the activity of your work.

Be free of thoughts of sin, guilt and misgiving.

Be touched by the beautiful anxiety of life.

Be patient with the unresolved in your heart.

Try to be in love with the questions themselves.

Love your solitude and try to sing with its pain.

Be gentle to all of those who stay behind.

Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.

Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.

Bear your sadness with greater trust than your joy.

Do not persecute yourself with how things are going.

It's good to be solitary, because solitude is difficult.

It's good to love, because love is difficult.

You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

*****