Growth and color and an (almost!) finished new painting

“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down” Kurt Vonnegut 

I’ve been thinking this week about what it takes to keep growing, whether as an artist or a parent or a friend or an individual. It’s the hard, daily work of trying new things, making mistakes, celebrating life and small successes, and getting up each new day with the determination to try again.

As spring continues to bloom, I’ve been so thrilled by the color and shape and growth right outside my door. Love, love, love.

Spring, today I’m celebrating you! Thank you for making our lives more beautiful.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I’ve also found my current painting to be such an interesting exploration into how growth happens and how the canvas (or in this case, the wood panel) creates space for trying new things and moving on from mistakes.

I began this painting in my normal fashion of just putting paint down so I could create with no agenda, but I kept feeling the call to be bold and try some new things that I’ve been wanting to try but haven’t (more detailed flowers, larger words, and more warm colors like pinks, oranges, and yellows).

Here’s where I’d left off last time:

I’d been thinking for a while about what my message should be in this painting. The first version of the painting was a starry evening scene and I’d considered follow the stars, but something didn’t fully click. Of course, the painting now is also totally different than it was in the beginning.

Now we have a bunny holding onto a brightly colored star, looking up to a similarly bright star perched at the top of a mountain. I held that image in my mind for a few days to see if the right words would come, and then I woke up one morning last week and here’s the first thing I thought:

Follow your own bright star. 

The words just sang inside my mind, which is what I was waiting for. I practiced writing them out on scraps of paper first in different sizes and orientations, as you can see above and below.

I don’t usually add larger words to my paintings, but Eric and I both agreed that the larger words had a bigger impact. You can see the words and a detail shot below:

It’s such a different route than my original plan to stamp on the words, and I’m happy I took the chance.

Overall I’ve been trying to go with the flow with this painting and allow inspiration to lead me to new places, but after I painted the words I knew I needed some really bright, colorful detail to tie everything together.

Here’s where I am currently:

I added some bright pink flower vines to the mountains, as well as some green and yellow designs along the ground (among other little details). I’ve loved working with these warm colors, as they create such a pop against the blues and purples.

Usually when I’ve been working on a painting for a long time, I get a little nervous about adding bold details as I worry about ruining all of my previous hard work. This is such a limiting mindset and one I continue to work on, as of course growth comes from trying new and different things.

Today’s reminder: pushing past our comfort zones generally leads somewhere productive (and fun!). Another reminder: nothing is permanent (new layers of paint truly do cover up all kinds of mistakes).

I may do a few more little tweaks before declaring the painting fully finished, but I’d say it’s about 98% complete. I’m so excited about where it landed and also excited to start working on something new. Prints (and potentially cards) to come!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

On a personal front, it’s been a demanding few weeks. Isaac is getting his first tooth and he’s been extra clingy and cranky. I’ve been worn thin, staying up way too late to work while also tending to a hurting kiddo. I needed a good dose of perspective recently, and that came in the form of this photo:

Here’s Isaac earlier this week, beyond thrilled to be playing with the vinegar bottle while I was cleaning up after lunch.

He rolled the bottle around the kitchen (and crawled after it) for a good 10 minutes, which was so very sweet to watch and sweeter still to relive in memory. He was just so happy, even in the midst of teething pain and general crankiness, and it reminded me that we can find joy peeking through even on the hardest of days.

Seeing this happy face again in the photo left me with a smile and a vow to put the week’s challenges into perspective and start fresh again.

It’s okay to hit the reset button whenever we need to (it really is!).

And here’s to recognizing and celebrating life’s little moments as they occur.

With love,