Daily painting #754 Rosey blue

Daily painting #754 8"x8" oil and mixed media on primed panel (unframed)

We are in the process of building alterations at home. I have a studio space/office that I use inside our house but I also have a much larger studio space outside where I teach from 3 mornings a week and paint my larger works from. This studio space is being converted into a cottage for my parents to come and live with us. Another out-building which has been used as a glorified storeroom for ages (i.e. not really used at all) is being converted into a new studio space for my larger work (and to teach from). We live in an old home with lots of character and it has been transformed over the 12 years we have lived here. Our home borders natural park land and so my new studio space, which is quite elevated, is going to look out into the tops of the trees. I am so excited about this...I love a room with a view! We have amazing birdlife and a troop of resident monkeys that live in the trees. However, building is never fun and I will be glad when it is all complete! 

As a result of all the chaos in my house, trying to find my mojo in my studio yesterday was quite hard. I found it hard to switch off from all the interruptions and get my head completely focussed on painting. I shared on social media a larger painting (you can see it here) that I have been working on and for every step forward yesterday, it felt like I took one step backwards too. Like a dance. Dancing is good for the soul right? So I stayed positive and kept painting. This morning instead of heading straight back to that Tango(tangle) or Cha-cha, I did a quick little study "Rosey blue" and then took some paintings I wasn't happy with and changed, altered, patterned, messed and generally played with paint to rework them (you can see this on the link too). It was a liberating way to start my morning and despite the constant drilling, hammering and thudding from outside, I enjoyed the dance and found my own beat. It's fascinating how some days things just work for you and some days they just don't. 

Dance anyway I say!

The view from my new studio space started to reveal itself as they bashed out the wall for a large window.
It made all the chaos of the day worthwhile!

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Daily painting #753 Blue with blackberries

Daily painting #753 oil on primed canvas panel (unframed) 6"x8"

Every time I go into a local store, I see the beautiful berries first thing as I walk through the automatic  doors. Whether it is the fact that I love to eat all berries or whether it is their beautiful jewel-like rich colors that catch my attention, I am not sure. Either way I couldn't resist these gorgeous blackberries which are anything but black. They have the most beautiful, rich colours and the magenta juice or stain they leave behind is my best (well besides eating them of course). I had to summon all my will power to place them at the back of the refrigerator (out of sight...you know what I mean) so that there were blackberries left to paint this morning!

Yummy, juicy blackberries with a little treasure off of my studio shelf!

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Cream and strawberries #752

Daily painting #752 6"x8" oil on primed canvas panel

New Year, new energy and time to focus on some exciting things for 2017!

Christmas cake, Christmas pudding, food, friends over, celebrations and awesome holidays at hotels with amazing food does not bode well for sugar-free eating! Lots of our good habits started to slip as the holiday wore on! But then it was holidays...and Christmas...and New Year and I am not going to beat myself up about it. 

Instead we are straight back on a sugar-free crusade and the best part of it is that the whole family agreed that the moment we arrived home from our holiday, we were all on board for a sugar-free lifestyle again! The interesting thing is that all four of us noticed changes again as sugar started creeping back in...changes in skin, weight, irritability and moodiness, altered sleep and both my daughter and son at some point had stomach cramps and funny tummies (particularly after eating puddings, chocolate etc). The dreaded 3am monster woke me nearly every morning, despite the fact that I was relaxed and on holiday and should have been sleeping like dream! I felt tired all day with no energy and at night I couldn't sleep! The frightening thing is that I can't even say we consumed large amounts of sugar...just the odd thing creeping back in and lots of eating out and celebrating...what a difference it made! Scary stuff!!

So strawberries with maybe a little drizzle of cream if I am feeling decadent is about as close as we are all going to get to any kind of after dinner treats for a while! I am happy about that!

I have been splashing, sploshing, experimenting and being brave with paint for the last few days, to try get back into studio mode! Its SO good to be back in my studio! I have also been reworking some large canvases that I was working on last year....but I always come back to spending some time doing a quick little study. So a little painting for you today. These little studies ground me. They make me observe, be still and contemplative and really focus my attention. They are like my little studio meditations. 

Wishing you all a fabulous 2017...it is good to be back!

Purchase paintings at Heidi Shedlock Fine Art
(Click on the highlighted writing to view gallery of available little paintings)