The Zen of Painting

The Zen of Painting

I love working with watercolour paints – they have sometimes been touted as the hardest medium to work with as it’s difficult to correct mistakes, but I find that it’s those mistakes that can be the most interesting part of the process and usually creates some interest in the image. Working on a computer all day can be fun, but I really love watching paint, water and paper mix together to create beautiful images. This is how I like to spend some of my time after work and find it can fuel the creative process.

Recently, my 9 year-old niece asked that I paint her a picture for her birthday, and that I could choose any subject matter. I knew she liked butterflies and found a great reference photo from last summer when a butterfly landed on a deck chair at the lake. I also thought she would be interested in seeing the documented progress of the painting and with the amazing cameras on smartphones these days, it was easy to do!

As you can see – there are quite a few stages involved in the creation of the painting, and it can easily become discouraging, but with a little courage and faith, it always works out in the end!