Kerrie Woodhouse's Blog, page 16

Happy little trees age gracefully - just like you

I've always had a soft spot for the strong, silent type. Small wonder that I am so drawn to trees. I adore the way the soft leaves catch the sunlight and dapple the grass below.

   

A sunlit tree is a happy little tree. That's what Bob Ross used to call them, isn't it? I feel a little deprived not having watched Bob 'let happy little trees out of his paintbrush' as a child. So I am making up for it now and painting some of my own.

   

Each one is unique...

Are you ready for an instant vacation?

It came as something of a surprise to me that I chose to paint bicycles this month. I am not a cyclist myself - not by any stretch of the imagination. Even so the idea of doing a whole bicycle series  has bubbling around in the back of my mind for ages. I thought it was because the bicycle presents a good challenge from a sketching point of view. All those spokes and angles and lovely round wheels.

   

But of course there is always more to it. As  I drew and...

Learning to be present takes less than a minute

The first animal I wanted to paint this month was a happy little squirrel. I love their busy energy. I love the way the scamper so playfully about their business. Like all little animals they live so completely in the present.

   

They are fully focussed on what they are doing right now. They scamper up their trees, they bravely fetch a tasty morsel left on a park bench.

And all that they do is done in the spirit of play. 

   

They don’t waste time or energy worryin...

Embrace imperfection - like a rambling rose

Roses can be one of the most challenging flowers to paint - intimidating!

But they are so beautiful, how could I not give it a try?  

If you can approach it with a glad heart and a brave brush, painting offers an opportunity to embrace imperfection.  And I am learning that the subject often chooses the artist, as it usually carries a message - a lesson not only in painting, but also in life.

   

I would be lying if I said I didn't worry that my loose watercolour sty...

What have you achieved so far?

If you are feeling in need of a little calming, reflective time then drawing mandalas is just the thing. One of my new rituals is to spend a month with mandalas at the close of every year.  There is so much about the mandala that feels apt at this time of the year.

   

The circle is the perfect symbol for a time of reflection. Its gentle  even curve will hold whatever you choose to put inside - a safe container. 

It brings me no end of delight to be able to star...

An easy lesson in mindfulness

Have you ever spent some time watching little birds go about their business?

This could just be about the easiest lesson in mindfulness.

Everything the little bird does it does with all of its being. They are so earnest in everything that they do. All of their energy and attention is focused on the task at hand, and only that. That single point of focus makes them efficient and effective. It comes so effortlessly in the natural kingdom.

   

Creatures like b...

Kitchen comforts

Have you noticed how little time it takes before everyone in the house gravitates towards the kitchen? The kitchen is the hub. The heart of the home.

 

It is where the momma is, and that’s what makes it home. It is the place of comfort and sustenance. It is where the best conversations happen.  On a kitchen stool over a cup of coffee with a chocolate chip cookie.

I think it is because there is no pomp and ceremony in the kitchen.  It does not suff...

A celebration of hot air balloons - in watercolour

Every so often, on our early morning school run we see hot air balloons. 

It is just the sort of extraordinary sight in an ordinary day that makes me happy to be alive. Even in the most routine tasks there is the odd touch of whimsy to be found. 

It makes you breathe a little deeper and a smile a little more. 

   

The kids start beaming and laughing and imagining what it might be like in a balloon.

And what would it be like?    

Up in the quiet expanse of blue under a...

What to do when you long for spring

When you long for those bright happy blooms of the warmer weather but winter is seeming  particularly persistent, what else is there to do but paint yourself some spring?

I usually love winter but it can leave you feeling restricted, closed in. Splashing paint about felt like just the thing to open up to the expansiveness of spring. Especially if the painting is of loose expressive flowers.

One of my favourite flowers from childhood is the sweet pea. I painted th...