Something Primary

I was in another “playful” painting mood today. With everything going on, the trips to help my sister, and a lot of other things to do, I find it difficult to get into a painterly state of mind. I don’t want to spend a lot of time drawing scenes or thinking too much about what I’m going to paint.

When I grabbed my paints for this watercolor, I had thoughts of painting flowers. My husband had brought home a beautiful bouquet. When I reached for my brushes, though, I felt that painting flowers would require more thought and effort than I wanted to invest.

Instead, I just grabbed red — for roses — and began washing color on the paper. I dabbed out a few flowery shapes with tissue, and I liked the effect, but I wanted more color. So I reached for blue. And then to finish out the primary triad, I added in a bit of yellow.

I suppose it could be flowers, or maybe it’s raindrops, or maybe it’s a sky with sunlight shining through. It doesn’t really know what it wants to be, but that’s all right.

Over the next few days, I’ll be on the road quite a bit. There won’t be much time for painting. It’s nice to pick up a brush and simple play with watercolors. It’s all part of the same artistic journey, and even though it might appear as though I’m doing little, I think taking a break from my art studies is a good thing right now. I’m hoping once things settle down a bit and I resume my lessons, I’ll make swift strides in many areas.

Until then, I’m going to have fun playing with my paints and brushes.