Painting for the bin and layering layers

The watercolor artist, Jean Haines,  who I greatly admire said sometimes you just have to paint for the bin!  This was a perfect week to do that.  On Tuesday I went outside and and sketched a rapid contour drawing of trees in pencil.  Then I added brown and green ink to give the gesture of the trunk and leaves.

With a bit of vermillion to the center....

On Wednesday I added indigo to the sides.  With a sunflower in the center.  I don't feel satisfied with the process so I will keep layering until something emerges that I can get some connection to. This layering process is absolutely wonderful.  I can paint 'for the bin' without having to throw away canvas.  Layer after layer builds as if a story is being told with a kind of mystery held beneath the visual layer on top.  I find 'layering' in art to potentially be a deep healing process.  More on that topic when I can speak more to my own experience of it.

Today, October 9th I am switching gears  from the mixed media and watercolor to pastels.  There is an art to putting down color that has no edges, no lines.  While I was painting in pastel I could viscerally feel my breath relax and deepen....as if the soft sides of the sphere were allowing breath to inhale and exhale with ease after a stressful day of busyness.  This was an experience of relaxation, allowing, softness and ease.  Good stuff!  Love, love, love the artful expressions in life:)