Hello lovely family and friends!

I will start off with art, and end with a personal well-being challenge! Of course, making art both challenges and boosts one’s well-being.

Here are WIP shots from my second “Who would like some more ice?” painting, Polar Splash:

Blocking in the underpainting. At first seeing a just a pastel sketch on an orange canvas is daunting. 

How on earth will one manage to cover the whole canvas? Deep breath, pick up a brush, and begin.

Second layer, Gosh the water took SO LONG! Each painting takes about a month, painting a layer, leaving it to dry for a couple of days, repeat.

The orange! I sweated, I can tell you. New respect for still life painters.

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I ADORE colour! I often use contrasting colours. Here the main colour is blue, I so I mix the remaining two primary colours, red and yellow, to get the complimentary colour orange. Which is why this painting has a slice of orange rather than a slice of lemon – gives it more pop.

Painting the ice cubes, and the Polar Bear. Painting the animal is the BEST bit, so fun!

I really like painting the fur and the tiny face details.Painting a final layer over everything,

Including the water in front of the ice, and the shine on the glass.

I then take it to be professionally photographed.

And then I start a new one….

Polar Splash From the “Who would like some more ice?” series  Oil on canva s 60cm x 75.5cm

Available (email me if interested)

 Next, on the well-being front –

While I am doing painting tasks that don’t require much thought, like priming canvases, I listen to podcasts, often about how to improve as an artist. I listened to one that went on and on about how artists neglect their bodies. I thought ‘that’s ridiculous’ (or as the BFG would say “that’s rinunculous”). Of course I look after by body, regularly give it coffee and a wash etc. Well, I stopped for a moment and tried to actually listen to what my body actually wants, and it gasped “Water, water…”

Oh. Right. There you go.

The deal is that I have to drink one glass of water for each cup of coffee. I put my coffee mug next to a full glass of water and it has to be empty before I refill my mug.

My back teeth are awash.

For those of you worried about my coffee consumption, I drink REALLY weak coffee, which outrages Wellingtonians, as I wrote last time.

But it’s not just artists who neglect their bodies, (I’m on to you) so how have you been treating that body of yours? (personal accountability painter speaking here). Let me know, or at least let someone know?

 I want to add a thank you to the creative photographers of Unsplash for the non-art images, they post free to use photographs there.

Sending joy in creating!

XX Barbie