As a photographer, I'm attracted to art. Building my artistry is a continual work in progress. While photography is a wonderful outlet for my creativity, I find myself asking "what I can I do regarding artistry beyond photography?" That's where watercolor painting has come in. In 2021, I began painting as a way to expand my creative horizons. Being about 7 months postpartum with my second baby, I was still deep in chasm of sleepless nights, reclaiming my body, and discovering meaning in the messy parts of my life. Painting was a way to slow down, release control, and let the pigments play.
I love how my work has improved and evolved over the past 2 years. For the sake of transparency, I must admit that when I first started everything was a MESS. The colors bled into each other, lines were scraggly, shapes were unshapely. The early work looks like a child made it. And you know what? A child did make it. Because children are learners, constantly learning new skills and improving as they go. So call me a child, because I'm learning and improving as I go. It's a process, right? This skill didn't happen overnight, and this skill is FAR from being mastered.
Watercolor painting has been especially therapeutic during a time of recovery. In November 2022 I broke my back (literally), and was barely out of bed for almost 2 months. Healing is not something I do well with. I find it difficult to stay still and rest. However when your back is broken, you find time to rest. And you rest a LOT. The pain was excruciating. I would rather have been in labor. But this painting was a fun result of the experience. It's a reference of one of the x-rays, and the overall feeling of pain I experienced during this time.
Watercolor painting has been a joy to play with. And I do consider this to be play. Watercolor cannot be controlled. It can be encouraged, and that is what I find so appealing. It does it's own thing, but it does consider your suggestions; if you know what to suggest. I'm still learning every day, and I'm thankful for this opportunity to practice my artistry in ways beyond photography.
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