It seems like so many people are stressed out lately, not just me for a change. Of course I have ways to cope. Walking in nature, like Dianne and I do in the early mornings, and cooking, like the community meals I prepare on Fridays, are my favorites, but lately I’ve been needing more.
JD writes poetry and plays the piano. Dianne does ballet barres, yoga, and tai chi before our walks. I have instruments to play too, but for some reason, I wanted something silent. Short and silent, so I can do it whenever I feel anxious.
Chantal starts the day with a song—today’s was “The Weight”—but she slips into sewing and artwork too. She dragged me into a watercolor class as something that might meet both our needs. She always needs something new to explore.
Chantal said she’d have supplies for both of us. But then the first day of class rolled around, and all she could find was acrylic paints…picture-specific craft kits…chalks…colored pencils…and a craft store clearance water pen kit, which at least had paper with it.
DO NOT TRY THIS. The water pen worked badly, and I spend the first lesson (blue flax) trying desperately to make my laughable supplies do something like what the teacher did.
Hearing Chantal’s swearing, Dianne walked by. “Would you like some real art supplies? Both of you have birthdays coming up soon.”
“I’m just trying to see if I like this,” I replied, though I know artistic undertakings require good tools and supplies, just as the teacher said. Repeatedly. But I didn’t want to add another set of supplies for Chantal’s art closet.
Same thing happened on Day 2 with pink ranunculus. This time it was JD who came to observe. I said to him, “Paper. My paper doesn’t act like professional paper. Arches brand.”
Day 3. Just in time for the poppy, Chantal found a water color paint kit, deep in her art closet. She also found a set brushes she bought for acrylics. I have no idea what brand they were, unless A-Bunch-For-A-Dollar is a brand. When Darryl asked, I told him, “I need brushes, at least two good ones. Princeton Heritage Round.”
Day 4-5. Faint but pursuing, we begin the final painting, a bouquet of all the flowers we’ve painted. While my brush can almost make the pressure-based leaves we learned how to do on Day 1, many other techniques remained beyond my grasp, and my paints didn’t behave like the teacher’s. I circled back to Dianne to say, “A basic six-pack of QoR paints.”
Even though our birthdays were still some weeks away, on Friday morning birthday presents appeared for Chantal and me at breakfast. I vowed to go through all the lessons again with my new supplies and recreate the paintings.
I put my watercolor supplies on my office desk (along with a bottle of water). Now every time I walk by, my paints lure me with a siren song.
Besides the artistic skills I hope I’m acquiring, I learned that I don’t need hours of time to calm the noise in my mind. Even 15 minutes with a paint brush helps. I hope you have something similar in your life.
I put my watercolor supplies in a plastic box and set them on my office desk (along with a bottle of water). Now every time I walk by, my paints lure me with a siren song.
Besides the artistic skills I hope I’m acquiring, I learned that I don’t need hours of time to calm the noise in my mind. Even 15 minutes with a paint brush helps. I put my watercolor supplies in a plastic box and set them on my office desk (along with a bottle of water). Now every time I walk by, my paints lure me with a siren song.
Besides the artistic skills I hope I’m acquiring, I learned that I don’t need hours of time to calm the noise in my mind. Even 15 minutes with a paint brush helps.
