Moving Forward - June 29, 2009

After seeing the spectacular blog sites of my cousin James Robertson and his wife Dani, I have renewed interest in my sketching and watercolour painting. I want to be able to regain the feeling of calm and relaxation that I used to get from creating art. It has been a while - much too long actually.

Although I have been drawing and watercolour painting as an amateur since 1998, I have lapsed to only the occasional painting a year. Oh, I have done a few rough sketches and worked up some ideas, but had stopped. I guess I blamed the heavy load at work for these lapses, but really I needed some inspiration to jump back in.  So James and Dani have got me motivated again. Both of their sites show their talent, their enthusiasm and excitement with drawing. 

James Robertson - http://theironscythe.blogspot.com/
Daniela Strijleva  - http://danielastrijleva.blogspot.com/

Okay so I have some new ideas for upcoming paintings and have my work cut out for me going forward. Here are a few ideas I have been playing with:

• I want to produce a coffee table book of my work. I have not been good at keeping photo's or records of paintings done. I have quite a number of paintings in various homes that I now only vaguely remember. I am hoping that some of my friends that have one or two of these can take photo's and send me a copy. I can probably write off seeing some of the paintings I had sold.
• I have a big interest in creating a triptych of activity along the Vancouver seawall. I have had some ideas and sketches for some time what will go on the three full size watercolour paintings and how to make them work together. I like the idea of the largeness of the triptych. Since I live in Vancouver down near the seawall and Stanley Park, I have lots of potential material.
• Also am interested in multi-panel watercolours arranged 2 x 2 etc and have some ideas for subject matter there.
• I have some really rough sketches of the following subject matter that I would like to work through - recumbent bicycles and tricycles, move local vendor stalls, some really interesting older Vancouver landmarks and their visitors, events such as the Jazz festival, annual fireworks, dragon boat races... anywhere where there are lots of people in various poses and expressions. This time of year we have lots of tourists looking at our city with wonder that makes you think how much it is taken for granted.

I have some organizing to do but soon hope to start posting sketches and some of the paintings I still have available. I suppose I will have to get over to my local Opus art supply store and replenish my supplies.

... Cyberdave