Staycation Art #6: Rest and Consolidate / Soaking it in

Keeping the fertile ground of your creative life moist (so that it can easily soak up inspiration) is an on-going and delicate balancing act.

You can’t absorb more than you are prepared to absorb at any given time. You can’t endlessly take in. Run-off occurs if it rains too hard on dry soil.

Pace yourself as it suits you. Let the joy of drawing soak down to your bones.

Ignore what you want to ignore and focus on what attracts you. Honor your unique interests. After all, that is how you will arrive at your authentic style over time.

This is a week for consolidating, resting, and soaking in previous lessons so that the up-coming lessons won’t run off the surface. This process is similar to dampening a sponge before cleaning up a spill and wringing it out when it is saturated.

Directions: Go over the previous lessons. Savor what attracts you. Repeat an exercise, do one that you missed, or come up with your own project or plan. (lessons available under Staycation Series in the menu bar)

In the end, the “come up with your own plan” is where you want to be with your art. To practice this skill, pay attention to your hunches no matter how faint they may be. Listen quietly to your inner voice. If you pay attention to it when it whispers, it won’t need to knock you over the head later on!

My friend Janette Rozene ( Tarrytown NY) is a role model for this weeks lesson. She reads the lessons and then goes where inspiration leads her. She practiced folding a pocket sketchbook but filling it wasn’t what she most wanted to do with the precious time she had for art.

Inspired by the concept of tree portraits (lesson 2), Janette continued to paint them over an over. At least ten times.

Janette carries her watercolor and gouache and sits in parks near her home. These are small pieces done on her afternoon outings. She also got inspired to look closely at flowers (lesson 1). She has done so many beautiful pieces during her Staycation that it was difficult to choose just three. Not being allowed to commute into Manhattan for her job has resulted in this gift of time in nature. What jewels can you find in your time of social distancing / staying at home?

Have an interesting week and let me know how these lessons are working for you. Please share this site with others. Thanks.