Watercolor Journal Making with Maria Greene

Selfie of Maria and I

I know I have mentioned before my propensity towards chasing everything artistically shiny down the proverbial rabbit hole.  It’s because it happens all the time and has happened once again.

watercolor journal Maria taught me how to make

While visiting with my dear friend Maria she taught me how to make a watercolor journal.  Of course now I am hooked and have to make some more.  Not an activity that will help with my art doll making deadlines.  But in life as in nature, balance is the key.

Bike seen on our sight seeing travels

While in Florida, Maria showed me the sights.  I fell in love with the trees and wound up spending an afternoon together painting these in my journal.

Watercolor journal entry by Marla L. Niederer

Where there is sunshine there are bikes.  I had to add another journal entry after seeing this one.  The real one has more circular wheels than my version.  That’s the beauty of a journal.  You can paint in it whatever you want without the fear of painting a “bad” painting because you are probably never going to sell it and really don’t need to share it with anyone but yourself.

Watercolor journal entry by Marla L. Niederer

Since I wanted to enjoy our visit together I didn’t spend the entire trip painting.  I did take quite a few pictures to paint in my journal once back home.

While taking in the sights, Maria brought me to an open market in Dunedin where we ran into a Jamaican food stand.  If you ever find yourself there and run into this amazing chef cooking Jamaican Intal food buy your lunch there.  His cooking made my belly so absolutely happy!

This is my favorite tree that I saw in Florida.  Definitely a watercolor journal entry waiting to happen.

Maria makes the most lovely journals that she sells on her Etsy shop here.

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthandFaery

Journal by Maria Greene

She also sells a tutorial on how to make your own journals here.

 http://ecourses-mariagreene.org/art-journals-how-to-make-them-uniquely-yours/

Until next time…..

warm hugs,

Marla

Day 51 of 51 Days of Art

Today is the 51^st day of my 51 Days of Art.  I began my 51 days of art with a watercolor journal entry and I am ending my 51 Days of Art with the same.  During the past 51 days I have often pondered the question of why I create art.  I found my answer while sitting in my screened in porch last evening.  As I was quietly contemplating the beauty of the nature that surrounds my home the image of this Fire Spirit fluttered into my mind.  I then realized the answer to the question of why I create art within the image of her flames.  Artistic Creation is an everlasting fire that consumes my thoughts, dreams, moments in time.  To discontinue my artistic pursuits is to quench the flames of my inner soul.  It is an option that doesn’t exist.   Although I am ending my 51 Days of Art retreat to return to the routine life where my day job exists, the fire of artistic creation will never be lost.

Day 2 of 51 Days of Art

I started off day 2 of my 51 days of art by taking a nice long early morning walk.  As I returned home I walked to the back of the house to take a peek at my gardens.  The long stemmed rose in the picture that I used as a subject for my watercolor journal page was picked from one of my rose gardens.   I never tire of the beauty and fragrance of a rose!

One may live without bread, not without roses.
Jean Richepin

Day 1 of 51 Days of ART or the Shell of a Nut left Upon my Doorstep

A few weeks ago I found this open walnut shell on the back steps of our screened in porch just sitting there waiting to be picked up.  As you can see it has the shape of a heart inside of it.  I brought it inside and after showing it to my husband; placed it on a shelf for the day that I would have time to use it as a subject for a watercolor painting. Today I took the walnut shell off of its shelf, poured myself a cup of tea, and started a watercolor journal page using the shell as the subject.  Today is the first of 51 days that I have chosen to take off from my day job and follow my heart and dreams of creating art every day. I thought it befitting to start this journey of the heart making a watercolor sketch of the heart within the shell that nature left for me to find.   I invite you to join me on this quest, follow your heart, follow your dreams, and share with me the tales you have to tell of your travels as I will share with you mine. 

“ Sometimes you gotta let your heart lead you, even if you know its someplace you know you’re not supposed to be”         -Van Wilder 

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.  It will not lead you astray.”       - Rumi, Essential Rumi