do you mind if i knit

I can learn...............

..........I hope I have learnt enough from my mistakes, and that in the future the successes will be higher in number than the disasters........... .......... I can tell you, I was so tempted to just add one more thing to this painting................. My heart said "go on Vanessa......... just a little bit more, and it will be perfect!"................... My head said "now Vanessa, hold your horses and think back to what happened before, when you added just that little extra thing....... think Vanessa, think". So I had a big think, a big long think................ and I followed the advice of my head.................. I kept it simple!

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity...............

The disasters of the last post all came together to teach me this mantra............ simplicity, simplicity......... simplicity................. To date, this is still my favourite painting............ Tomorrow I'll show you the second piece I did that I was happy with.................

I must explain my absence..............

Gosh........... the last couple of weeks have been a journey! Since, finishing the painting from the last post, I have been caught up in work, and attempting different approaches to my paintings ................... I've been concentrating on composition, and my success rate has been............. appalling............... ............... I think I was adding things to this painting without really thinking about it......enough............... ...........I lost interest in this painting in the end............. it just seemed lacking in a focal point, and I couldn't be enthusiastic about it............... So I started a new painting.............. Looking back on this now, I should have left it at this composition.............. ....................but no, I had to go and add more objects.............. ..........................I'm so annoyed with myself now............... you can see yet another object creeping in at the back.............. It might have been fine if I had left it there! What was I thinking?.............. This painting turned into something grotesque, and I only have myself to blame............... I don't want to leave you on that depressing note, so I'll show you what happens to disastrous paintings.............. They get cut up into smaller paintings............ if, and only if, there's a corner or section I think works. With this piece I used the left side of the painting, and started a whole new composition. The whole learning curve has been an uncomfortable process, but I have learnt a lot....................... and I think I'm starting to get there.......... to understand what it is I'm trying to achieve. I know that from doing my illustration work, it is much easier to create a busy picture, rather than hold back and brave a simple solution to a text.............. I have a bit of a hang-up about wanting to give value for money............. producing something simple and clear makes me feel I've short-changed my customer............. It can be the hardest thing to do, to pare things down............ which is what I am trying to do with my paintings. I'm happy to report that it hasn't all been disastrous........... I've done a couple of pieces which I'm happy with. I held back, didn't over-crowd the compositions, enjoyed the space around the objects, and the colours were more successful............... I'll show you the first one tomorrow...................

The seventh, and last, stage of my painting..........

I decided I had crammed in enough............... the painting was complete, it felt right to stop. I've started another painting now............. where I feel I've improved my technique, and developed my sense of composition. Something I have to watch in my watercolours is over working them.............. I build up too many layers, and they lose some of the magical translucense that is particular to watercolour, it's a constant battle to hold back......... not be too intense........... This painting has been a good learning experience........... I've been able to see where I could improve by getting it wrong..............As the painting progressed I was learning from what I was painting........................................................ I'm ready to move on to better things now.............Hopefully.................

Stage six of my painting.................

............Tomorrow.............. you'll see the painting finished.................

Stage five of my painting..................

.......... Just to let you know............ the painting will be finished this Sunday! Have a lovely weekend...............

Stage four of my watercolour painting...................

Stage three.............. of my painting.................

Stage two of my painting..................

A week of one painting.................

I've suddenly started to go up in scale in my paintings............. exploring where it will take me.................. This week, I'm going to show you a photograph each day............... the idea being that with each new day there will be some sort of progression in this one watercolour I was recently working on..................... So............ today is the painting at its first stage............... tomorrow it develops to............... stage two, you might say................... By the end of the week............ you'll see it completed. I hope you enjoy this little journey.................