Staying Creative During Summer

Flowers and produce from the garden, watercolour pencils

 

Blog 8


August was the eighth month since I started my daily artworks. I have used watercolour pencils most of the time to capture something I have seen each day. This month, I fell hopelessly behind. I needed to prioritize several needle-felting projects to upload my fall schedule to my website. One of them was the Holy Family for my three-part November workshop. The other was a chickadee with wire legs and feet. To create these cute chickadees during my September 14 and 15 workshop, don’t miss the Sunday, August 31 registration deadline. I need at least three registrations by then to run the workshop. Additional participants can still register until September 11.

Concentrating on my needle-felted projects resulted in many missed days of drawing. I admire a friend who has managed to paint every day for many years, regardless of life’s events. Often, he is happy with the outcome; other times, he is just pleased he stuck to his routine. Because my inner perfectionist still pushes me to create finished drawings instead of sketches, I struggle with the time needed to complete each drawing.



However, while I could regret the missed opportunities, I will highlight what I still created. Often, we are our worst critics. Therefore, let’s celebrate the triumphs instead of concentrating on the perceived shortcomings. As mentioned earlier, art is not a race but a delightful pursuit that allows you to escape the world and find your happy place.



Here are my August artworks:

Sketches from the Ottawa Little Theatre production Hilda's Yard

Nature art, watercolour pencils (top), watercolours (bottom)

Macbeth, outdoor play of A Company of Fools

pencil, watercolour pencil (bottom right)

In September, I will face another challenge to continue my daily drawings due to the Arteast Studio Tour and a two-week visit from German friends. However, the changing fall colours will offer lots of inspiration to keep making art. Have fun! The more you create, the more your creativity will bloom.



In the meantime, I am excited about an autumn filled with numerous opportunities to connect with you and strengthen my creative community.

My friend, Janis Fulton, and I will participate in the second Arteast Studio Tour on September 7 and 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM. We will be at my house to share our beautiful art in Studio P at 1270 Kinsella Drive, Cumberland, Ontario, K4C 1A9. Janis and I often paint together, and it will be fun to see our unique interpretation of the spots we visited. Twenty-seven members will participate and invite you to visit their studios to see where and how they work and why they create their art. There will be five additional artists in Studio O in Cumberland.

A downloadable list of the Fine Arts Studio Tour artists and their addresses is available here.