I walk fast.
I talk fast.
I eat fast.
I work fast.
With my sides hurting recently, I was told by my physical therapist to slow down. Oh, and to remember to breathe too.
Good advice.
It took me a week or two to realize what those instructions really meant.
Slow down and breathe. I repeat to myself as I move about my day.
I've been taking a watercolor workshop with an instructor who paints in a completely different way than I have ever experienced before.
First she starts with the darks.
She rarely does sweeping washes.
After about an inch of paint, she changes color.
She is slow.
Her paintings are luminous.
Her advice: look 3 times, think twice, paint once.
Good advice.
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| Starting with the darks |
It took several weeks for me to catch on to her methods.
They work.
So now I will repeat it to myself again.
Go slow.
Breath.
Look 3 times.
Think twice.
Act once.
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Check out Leslie Wilson's watercolors at her website: http://www.lesliewilson.net
Beautiful painting! I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the concept of starting with the darks when doing watercolor, but there's no arguing with the results.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jean. I agree. It took me awhile to accept this whole new construct. But it does work!
DeleteLove this post! Great reminder to slow down and take a moment. Thank you for the reminder!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katie. Good way for me to start the new year -- a reminder to myself to go more slowly.
DeleteVery impressive. Who would have thought...
ReplyDeleteComments are working again, Jan. Yeah! You are such a good reader of my blog. A thousand thanks for reading and responding so often.
DeleteIt is a rainy post holiday day and I’m catching up, or should be catching up, on desk work. I saw your blog and spent some time on it.
ReplyDeleteSo good, nurturing and varied artistically. Fun read.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Nancy, for taking the time to read my blog postings. Today was a good day for reading and catching up!
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