Can’t believe Downton Abbey has ended.. .Going through withdrawal. Painting always help. So here goes…

Happy International Women’s Day! I chose a quote that is near and dear to me and a reminder for me, as a mother too. To all the strong women in my life, Thank You!

I came across a very intriguing poem the other day on Pinterest by e.h. It talks about the language of scars and bruises and how we should be proud of them and see them as stories. And to find someone with the faith and love to decipher each and every one of them. How thought provoking… Especially in our world of pics that are photoshopped to look perfect. I am made of scars and bruises, some visible some not. I am proud of them. They make me who I am. And they tell my story… Decided to fill her hat with this poem. See if you can read it😉

Saw a quote the other day about what we can do from within.. It’s a good reminder for me who tends to be my own worst critic. I can compliment me, celebrate me and  encourage myself! Why not? We can be our own best cheerleader! Here is another rose practice with watercolor. I think I did good. (Wow, that was hard to say out loud😅)

Painted this on my flight from the east coast to west coast. Thankfully the middle seat was empty so I could spread out all my watercolor crayons and pencils:) these supplies are really awesome to travel with. Practicing another flower. A reference from a flower that my sister photographed. She is really good at that. Luckily this means lots of good references for me💃💃💃!

 A Facebook friend commissioned me to paint a picture of her mother in her youth. I was nervous about it (imagine painting someone as important as a mother!) but she was so fun to work with. What made this whole thing even more special and meaningful for me is when she received the painting and wrote to tell me that it brought tears to her eyes. Reading that really moved me. And reminded me why I make art.. In the hope that it will bring joy to others…

I go through stages of love, hate, doubt and then back to love during my creative process. Sometimes it will go where it wants to go. That is why I usually don’t start with a fixed plan. And always have gesso ready on hand!😉 I love the process, it is very much like the way I travel. I accept come what may and try to make the best of it😍

Is spring here yet?

“I can do this”. Sometimes that is all we need to tell ourselves. Quiet our inner critic and throw away our self doubt. In this case, I wanted to experiment with a multicolor hair for my girl. Wasn’t sure how it would turn out. But I told myself not to give up, I can do this. One layer at a time..I love her.

For the most part, I am a worrier, a planner, a perfectionist. Art has opened new avenues for me to experiment, to learn new things, to “wing it”. In this painting, I tried a couple of new things. 1. Painting roses. 2. Use crazy colors around the eyes and hair. It was fun and nerve wrecking as I had no idea how it would turn out. The important thing is I enjoyed the process! And when I saw this quote, I chuckled and thought it described this piece (and me) to a T!

I love to paint faces and I admire artists who can use non face colors on the face. I am a big fan of Laovaan aka Kite (on Facebook). Inspired by him today, I decided to go crazy with colors on my girl. The colors made me happy. At this point, I felt like something is missing, so I attempted to paint a flower to put on her hair.

First I drew and outlined the flower

Then I went to town with orange, red and yellow colors on the flower. I am really not good with flowers. Kept getting lost in the petals, asking myself, which petal are you on now? Where is the shading supposed to be? I love flowers but painting them is so hard…here is my attempt..

Viola, now she has a flower in her hair. Not sure which is better, with or without flower… What do you think?