The Creative Colour Challenge

I have always been a sucker for colour.  I can see something with just the right colour combination, with just the right zing, and be drawn to it across great distances.

 It could be something to do with my synaethesia, or being arty or just because colour and light create life, I don't know, but I love colour.

I've just recently come to realise some reasons why I haven't explored my visual art as much as my written work.  When I write, I just write, always excited where it will end up and not really caring whether I make mistakes along the way (heh, writing has an undo button that doesn't quite work as well for visual art). I've never managed to do that with my art, mainly because art uses many more expensive resources.  So step one for me is to say, hey, I can always buy some more.

The other main reason I find is that my perfectionist attitude gets in the way. I've always been a realist artist and when the result doesn't live up to reality (I'm just not that good), I get depressed.

A few years back...okay, nearly 10 years ago, I went through a short period of exploration with my art.  I took a concept that had nothing to do with reality and just went for it.  I didn't care whether it looked like what it was supposed to look like, I didn't sit for hours trying to get the finest detail just right, I just painted.

I had so much fun.

My theme was movement.  It started with painting the movement of a whale without actually painting the whale.  I wanted to illustrate the existence of the whale by the effect it had on its surroundings.  The result was far from being accurate with even the concept and the paint strokes were as rough all hell as I just happily slapped them down, but I enjoyed it.


I took the concept one step further and tried it with a gecko and I got lost in the colours of reds, yellows and oranges.  To this day, I love those pieces, despite them being on crappy cheap card rather than good illustration board, despite the paint dribbling everywhere.  I just enjoyed creating them so much.

I don't know why I returned to precision drawing (the Lotus piccy above was completed six years ago and was pretty much my last major work....my art has been neglected).  I've recently given it a great deal of thought as my life has been changing considerably over the last few years.  After nearly seven years of trying, I finally achieved pregnancy with my little KJ in 2007 and wonderfully again with Izzy in 2009 and I now have two wonderful little daughters and I can finally pull myself off the IVF train and turn my focus elsewhere (apart from the important role of parenting, of course, women were made to be able to do more than one thing at a time).  I've found the idea incredibly freeing and I know exactly where I want to direct myself.  I want to free up my art and enjoy it, create and scribble and be inspired.

And I think colour is the key.  I'm not going to worry about needing to sell work, I'm not going to worry about what anyone else thinks of my work (beyond thinking that everyone will think it is wonderful ::tongue in cheek grin::), and I'm NOT going to be precise.  I'm going to explore colour.  I love colour.  Why haven't I thought of this before? 

I've just recently taken up crochet, a craft I've dabbled in vaguely for a long time, but only recently started using it to create completed objects, and it is through that and through the art and craft communities online that I'm finally beginning to find my centre.  Crochet doesn't require a picture perfect result, it only requires colour and pattern.  So I've begun making up designs using the tools of crochet.  I can also do my crochet while looking after KJ and Izzy as it doesn't require me to be at my art table, so even if I don't get time entirely to myself (a rare thing that I had to fight for this morning), I can get some creative work done.  It is good for my health....Nutty gets cranky if she doesn't create.

But I do sorely want to take this new found idea to my traditional media and explore.  At the moment I'm poking around with soft pastels, lovely colour sources.  I haven't quite mastered them yet, having trouble with keeping the work clean and manipulating the colour on the page, but it is fun exploring.

I started with one of my favourite flowers, Sturt's Desert Pea, and for those of you who know of my crochet cushion cover, this is where it came from.  I made an attempt to draw the form, colour and shape of the flower, but just dabble and play, exploring them rather than worrying about accuracy. I set out to mutate :D  Because I'm a novice pastelist, I'm not to good with accuracy in the medium anyway.  This was the result.

So I have begun my journey to free up my brain.  With the help of many inspirational bloggers (who I surf for and read while feeding Izzy, despite not being able to type while so engaged) and friends, I hope to find some new abilities and explore some serious colour.

But wait, I've forgotten the original purpose of this post (typical me)!

One of those inspirational artist/bloggers is Louise Gale and she is holding a Creative Colour Challenge !  Can I say perfect opportunity????  I've jumped on the bandwagon hoping I can juggle my time efficiently enough to get at least something done.  No matter what your medium, join us!  It is going to be fun!

Nutty
(breaking a non-writing period and clearing the verbal logjam in a flood of wandering text)