The Urge to Paint

 

A simple painting of colourful buildings

When the urge comes to paint and I don't have the time to create something elaborate, then I just allow the watercolours to flow wherever they want to. The results can look odd or a bit messy but it's just another practice session, nothing serious. The idea was never to create a masterpiece, only a result. Then I can learn from what I painted and judge what's good and what's not so good. I know the green wasn't such a good idea. But now it's there anyway.

There is something very positive and rewarding from this effort. It is an escape from everyday life and the pressures that accompany it. So, it is food to the soul and healing to the mind and body. It is also a creative endeavour to fortify the mind.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How I Started Watercolour Painting

Image
This is an update. The picture above is one of my favourites because it is colourful and tells a story. Sometimes I get a sudden surge of inspiration and produce something I really like. I was still very new to watercolour painting and still managed to produce a nice piece of art.  On a recent trip to the Cape I met a lady who owns a gallery in Worcester, Western Cape called Worcester Gallery. She was a real inspiration and gave me her full attention as we discussed watercolour art. She liked the images of my paintings which I showed her on my mobile phone and encouraged me to keep on painting and send some of my artwork to her. When someone you don't know gives you that sort of encouragement, then you really feel more motivated and appreciated. Her advice was that I should pick a theme and master it, which was buildings. Hence my latest effort is in the picture above. I would like her to know that I really appreciate her kind words. I met with two other ladies after that who also ...
Read more

Karate - Self Defense at Shorei Martial Arts Academy (Kempton Park)

Image
Here is a new video of karate and self-defense demonstrations taken during the grading in November 2017. Congratulations to the following gents who received their certificates on Saturday 30 September Mark Pretorius (3rd dan); Hennie Esterhuisen (4th dan); Tony de Beer (instructor 7th dan); Mzoxolo Maki (1st dan). From left to right. Karate is an excellent form of self-defense, something that applies to everyone, young and old. "Karate, a martial art, was developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手?), "hand"; tii in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital-point strikes a...
Read more

French Toast for Mom

Image
  French Toast for Mom happened on May 12th 2024. It was a beautiful sunny day when we drove to the place in Hartebeespoort which is located next to some mountains with a huge dam on one side. It has always been a favourite recreation area since the 1970s (for me anyway). We arrived early in the morning and walked around the place while waiting for our son to park his car. During that time we took a few photographs in front of some French-looking displays. Once our son parked the car and joined us, we entered the venue area and found a table with an umbrella where we could order some breakfast. Since it was Mother's Day all the focus was on Maggie to make the day special for her. Once breakfast arrived, Maggie started enjoying the meal. Due to unforseen circumstances the platform where I posted the link to my book is not performing correctly and I have to look for an alternative method to advertise and sell my book. I apologize for the delay and inconvenience.
Read more