Clouds mesmerize me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a clear, blue sky, but clouds are the stuff of poetry, lending themselves naturally to personification, often drawing my lens to their ever-changing moods.

I searched for You-Tube videos on how to paint clouds.  After watching three different artists work rapidly and with great confidence I felt the weight of my inadequacy.  Perhaps, I thought, it is too soon for me to tackle clouds.   And then I remembered that I am a voluntary student of art, and since no one is marking me, there is no harm in trying.

I did, however, deduce three things from watching the videos:

1.  Every artist has their own technique (i.e. there is no right or wrong way).  In fact all three approached the medium differently from my teacher.  So, just do what feels right.
2. Confidence is only ever gained through practice.
3.  Art is experimental.  Even the pros were at the mercy of the water and paint.

So, armed with possibilities, I have been practicing clouds.

I have also been playing with colour, trying to overcome my fear of making mistakes by venturing outside of normal colour palettes.  I love vibrant colours and I want my work to reflect that.

As a side note, my husband commented that the perspective in this painting is off, to which an artist friend replied: perspective is the right of the artist.  Yeah her!

This friend, who is a viable artist, suggested I might have fun by painting the page first and adding the sketches afterwards.  So I’m giving that a try. The grebes are a quick attempt, but encouraging.

Bottomline:  just like writing, painting and sketching are skills that will only improve with application.

Besides, this beats watching the nonsense that is on television.  I should get a bump sticker for my walker that reads:  I’d rather be learning art.

Anyone else have suggestions for the this budding artist?