Aquarell auf Papier - Collage
Farbenfrohes Experiment mit Acryl auf Leinwand
August 2020
“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.”
- Gerard De Nerval
Experiment mit Acrylfarben inspiriert von einem Gemälde von Pablo Picasso
(“Le Gentilhomme à la Pipe et Fleurs” von 1968, siehe eingeklebte Postkarte)
"Jedes Kind ist ein Künstler.
Das Problem ist nur, wie man ein Künstler bleibt,
wenn man größer wird."
- Pablo Picasso
Mehr darüber, wo ich kreative Ideen finde und wie ich mit ihnen arbeite, gibt es in meinem Blog-Artikel über INSPIRATION (<— klick).
Intuitives, abstraktes Malen im Artjournal (Acryl)
Abstrakte Artjournal Spielerei in Lila und Pink
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy,
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
- Marcel Proust
Patternplay … Spielen mit Farben, Formen und Mustern
Intuitives Malen im Artjournal mit abstrakter Farbenspielerei
“Together we can change the world, just one random act of kindness at a time.”
- Ron Hall
“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.”
Phillip Moffitt
Whenever I have leftover paints from another project I use them up in my artjournal where I create a colourful background and a few basic shapes. It helps me stay creative when I’m feeling less inspired, need a little art fix on the go or want to unwind a bit even though I don’t have the energy (or resources) to pull out all the paints and brushes. All I need are a few pens and I can work in my prepared artjournal wherever I want to. I finished pages like this in coffee shops, waiting rooms, on trains, in various gardens, on holiday, in bed, on the beach and even in hospital. The simple act of drawing lines and adding finishing touches to each page calms me down every time and I feel connected with myself again.
When was the last time you enjoyed some time painting just for the delight of it? Not because you wanted to achieve a certain outcome or reach a goal you set for yourself, but just because you wanted to see how your favourite colours look side by side? When was the last time you had fun trying out shapes and patterns just for the sake of it, not caring if the lines were wonky or the paint got smeared? When was the last time you just played like a child, giggled while randomly adding dots here and there, completely forgetting time and without judging if what you just did was considered „good enough“? ・
„Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.“ I read these words somewhere, I believe they are by the American psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, and they deeply resonate with me. It is important for me to let myself play on a regular basis. It brings me so much joy and freedom to let go of my own judgements or expectations and just „do whatever feels good“, no matter if it’s pretty or „artsy“ or advanced enough. It just „is“ and I do it because it is fun. It do it because I enjoy experimenting and exploring without boundaries. I have journals and hundreds of sheets of paper filled with playful, fun, weird and wonky stuff. No one will ever see them if I don’t want to. They serve no particular purpose, and in our society of busyness and productivity they may even seem like a waste of time or resources… but they are tokens of many joyful, carefree and happy hours… and time spent like this is never wasted.
I am grateful for the the love around me. 💗
I am patient with myself while I learn to love myself and allow myself to be fully loved.
I open my heart to let it bloom and shine this loving light onto myself and others.
Everyday I choose love over fear.“
I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety this week. Art and (art)journaling always helps me to feel grounded again, to come home to myself. Even if I have only ten minutes to add a few doodles to an already prepared and colored page, I instantly feel a lot calmer and more at peace in myself.
Something that also helped me a lot this week was a „smile body scan“, a meditation by @tarabrach .
(You can find it on her website if you search for „smile body scan“). It helped me to gently hold space for myself in kindness and loving presence and I always felt very good afterwards when I carried on with my day with that wonderful feeling of my whole body smiling.
Just a little reminder: You matter. You are loved. You are worthy. You are a magical, bright light in this world.
This is my wooden painting palette. It makes me so happy every time I see it or work with it because all the layers of paint, varnish and glitter represent the countless blissful hours I spent in my studio. This palette tells many different stories. Stories of showing up for myself, experimenting and having fun, stories of failing and trying again, of venturing into the unknown, of accepting what is even if I don’t like it and stories of dancing and laughing out of pure joy because I love these colours so much.
I started to read a book called „Healing the Inner Child“ by Thich Nhat Hanh. I’m only a few chapters in but his words already struck a chord within me. I’m moved to tears by the way he writes about how we can tenderly and mindfully „go back home“ to our inner child, embracing her (or him), talking to her in a language of love and taking care of her. Just the thought that she is not alone anymore and is finally heard (by me) gives me a deep sense of calm and healing.
Let’s take a few deep breaths troughout the day, take good care of ourselves and lovingly be there for all that is within us.