DWM paints in Buff, Fuchsia and Sky with grey pastel pencil.
Tag: process
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What we love vs what inspires
Alan and I went bush for the weekend. I love being out in nature – trees, hills, quiet, no power or cell cover. No other people. Listening to Morepork at night, watching Tui during the day. Bliss!
I knew Alan would be doing his thing during the day. We both accept I have limited physical capacity some days. I had prepped two small art journals, and took water soluble crayons and pencils, and a few other bits and pieces. The journals are a new brand for me, and turns out the paper isn’t as durable as I like despite being a bit dearer than some of my fav journals. I bought them to try because they were 30% off. I also wish I’d taken actual watercolours, but both those problems are incidental.
What’s fascinating, as an artist, is while I absolutely love being in the bush it doesn’t inspire me to paint in the way I expect it to. It might just be that I haven’t done enough to loosen up and create the sort of work I like, but I’m also not sure I want to. And yet when I go down South I find the water, and the colours of the Hokitika Gorge, inspire me to create over and over and over.
What we love, and what inspires us to create, are not necessarily the same thing. Why? I have no idea really, but I’m mulling it over. In the meantime, here’s some samples of the pages I did do…
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Week 5 – self portrait
This week’s Wanderlust25 lesson was taught by Shawn Petite, who I’ve followed for years. The project involved journaling, prepping the page with collage papers and ephemera that have meaning to you, and using washes of colour that relate in some way to what you wrote. The last step was a self portrait. I won’t go into all the details with it being a paid course.
We started by doing a practice colour wheel. I chose to go slightly off the primary colours, and used DWM Lemon, Lapis and Ruby, with DWM Umber and White, and Liquitex Parchment. It’s not a combination I’d tried on a colour wheel before and I like it.
People who know me well will understand why “voice” is the word I ended up with to summarise my journaling…
My initial layers, there’s journaling under the collage. 
My colour wheel, complete with a smear thanks to Sabrina’s paw! My completed page. Share this:
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Wanderlust week 4 completed
This tested my patience a bit, but it was fun too and I’m pleased with the end result. I’ve glued it into my art journal so I can fold it out and add to it if I want. The panorama shot is a bit off and wobbly because I’m not that steady but it gives you the general idea.
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Spreading a little light
The world is difficult for a lot of people. I won’t list the reasons here because of the bots, but you know what I mean (unless you live under a rock!). In my career I have a constant awareness of the ways we can contribute as librarians. Indiviually I do what I can with things like submissions when Parliament provides the opportunity. But that’s about fighting back.
I’ve been thinking about how I can lift others up, and scatter joy and light like fairy poop. The answer was pretty obvious … ART. Last night on Bluesky I listed a bunch of works with this wording “The world is a bit awful so want to spread some joy. I’m selling small artworks for $25 incl postage, NZ only. My usual artist grade mixed media supplies. Mainly pieces where I’m testing ideas, combinations. Comment sold then DM me.”
All of them are rehomed already, which is great. What’s even better though is the sheer joy in the DMs I got from people. Am I all-but giving the works away by the time I pay packing/postage etc? Yes. Does it matter? No. I create becaue it’s in me to create, and it’s good for my mental wellbeing. I’d be creating regardless, so why not share the joy and light?
Of course I’ll continue to create works to exhibit and sell on Felt. Pen Kirk & I will keep making collab works that we exhibit and sell. But this feel right at this moment in history. Sidenote – I just remembered one of my teachers accused me of “tilting at windmills”. Better that than stand by as the world burns and do nothing.
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Cath Sheard Art 