Photo A Week: Fruits of Labour

art, blogging, challenge, photography, writing, , , , , , 14 Comments

Finding an outlet to express myself creatively (beyond writing) has been my biggest accomplishment this year.  Picking up a camera and a paint brush both happened simultaneously, as our adventures across country begged recording.

bud (art)

Converting image
to art, via watercolours, has become my passion, although to date, I’ve only had a few lessons, and each attempt reminds me of how much I have yet to learn.

Typical of me, I dive right in without knowledge of the basics – never having taken art beyond elementary school.  It occurs to me, each time I approach a painting, that a rudimentary foundation in the craft would help.

Still, I persevere, and I will be starting lessons in the fall.

“You should take some photography lessons, too,” my husband suggests kindly, and perhaps I will, down the road.  For now, I am satisfied with the thrill that each image brings when I open it on the computer for review.

killdeer artThis killdeer, guarding the nest, observed me warily, deciding I was not a threat, so I was able to get a good close-up.  Killdeer remind me of childhood summers, playing in the fields behind our house, and chasing the birds as they feigned a broken wing to lure us away from the nests.

I used traditional water colours with pencils to complete this piece.

The greatest  sense of accomplishment occurred when we had some of my art framed for display in our new home.  It is so satisfying to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour each day.

 

Photo of art

(Nancy Merrill’s A Photo A Week Challenge is Fruits of Your Labour.  V.J.’s weekly challenge is foundation.)

 

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Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

14 thoughts on “Photo A Week: Fruits of Labour”

  1. these are truly amazing, when you said you did art I wasn’t expecting this at all! the style is almost like the impressionists style to my eyes except you use sifter hues and shades. they look so pretty framed up. you are so talented!

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  4. It’s amazing how your painting stands out in a frame. A delicate beauty! Last year I printed and framed a few of my photos. Feels good to see them gracing my home. Lovely post, V.J. ❤

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  5. VJ, this is a beautiful post – a boost of confidence for anyone beginning some new creative venture. Love your paintings! Marvelous to have them framed, surrounding you. Bravo!!
    Your diving in w/o the rudimentary instruction is perhaps why you are still going … too many rules can be a turn-off, even if they are really just expressing how a medium “works”. I taught myself to sew in 6th grade. I’d seen Mother do it, the machine was there, and I decided one day (while Mother was at work) to make clothes for my doll. Mother commented later on the difficulty of tiny doll-size openings, said sewing is easier on human sizes. And I was off! By 8th grade I wore only clothes I’d made for myself. Some details (zippers!) a bit unconventional …!

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    1. There is truth to what you say. I taught myself to sew also (had forgotten that). For years I sewed my clothes, my kids clothes, our curtains and bedspreads. I haven’t thought about that in a long time. To create something with our hands, born of our own vision – this is accomplishment.

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  6. I love that you just dove right in. The thing about art there is no right or wrong and sometimes as adults we have trouble letting that go. This way you go into the lessons knowing more about how you want to grow as a painter! How lovely to have your own work hanging in your home! Something grounding about having your own art or knowing the artist whose work hangs in your home.

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