Colour

I fell into it by accident... painting that is.  I'd always had an obsession with colour, ever since I can remember.  Often, as a child, I'd stand by the rows of coloured pencils and crayons in shops, and stare at them for hours on end.  The fascination has spilled over in my adult life, but it wasn't until I was in my late twenties that it occurred to me that there may be a reason behind it all.  I remembered odd paintings made during classroom hours, and particular memories of art classes and it slowly dawned on me that this was a part of me I'd never explored... labouring under the misconception that my technical/scientific side was the whole of me, instead of the part I now know it is. 

So I wandered into a stationers, picked up some rudimentary art equipment and ... painted.  And here is the end result.  Well, that was back in 2000 and seven years on I've done a few more pieces but not as much as I'd like.  I also seem to have a natural affinity for pastels, which have included my best pictures, and even now hang on the lounge walls.  But, I wanna do more.  I feel very much that this is an area of my life that has been lacking recently, mostly due to limitations/practicalities of kids and paint etc.  But also, due to my own procrastination.  It's a funny thing, but I find art a perfect complement to my writing... if ever one is out of balance, then a bit of time with the other will bring me back into pitch-perfect harmony. 

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) kicks off in a couple of weeks time.  I'm bracing myself for the long-haul but at the same time, I'm realising that if I'm going to write and tap into my internal stream of creativity with any great success, I'm gonna need to pick up a brush and start painting.

I bought some stretched canvas over the weekend, my first ever, and it's time to put the oil paints I've inherited to some good use.  It's also my brother's anniversary soon and an ideal opportunity to kill three birds with one stone.  Check back for updates on my progress on both the painting and the writing....



View more of my artwork.