Category: flowers

A new thing for me: Sip and Painting

Posted on by abigailcossetteryan in artist, colorwheel, floral, flowers, roses, Uncategorized, watercolors

I often sip wine while I paint or draw in the evenings. But I’ve never before tried to teach anyone anything about art. Ever. Before this summer.

I like teaching. When I learn how to do something, I always end up teaching it to someone else eventually. Mostly, though, I’ve taught things like basic understanding of laws. Not things like art, which is so much more instinctive.

For me, anyway.

I’m not really sure how to teach drawing. I learned from books, and copying and tracing and drawing relentlessly. I know some words and principles that might help people draw better, or at least….help them even TRY to draw…but I don’t really know what anyone could possibly do beyond that. You learn to draw by practicing, and learning a few principles about how to draw what you actually see, not what you think you see.

With the sip and paints, a sketch is provided. So I’m mostly trying to convince people to let go of their inhibitions and let the pigments play. That’s the point of watercolors, really.

I myself painted the same rose 3x before the event (4, actually, but I only brought 3) and 2x during, different every time, to encourage people to think outside the box and let go of the pigment.

My mother in law will laugh if she reads that, because I had a hard time letting go, myself.

The blue rose was my final piece.

It was fun, I have a better idea for how I would arrange the table, how I would talk people through some of the techniques a bit better. It seemed to really help them to watch me paint, and this time I’d set myself up behind a pitcher of water and a vertical display of the color wheel–which literally no one looked at. Next time, I’ll forgo the vertical color wheel, put the pitcher somewhere else, and make sure to show people things before I unleash them to dip their brushes in pigment.

I think everyone had fun, and they definitely came up with some great combinations and turned out some very nice work. Best of all, they smiled a lot and talked about how relaxing it was. Creating art has, of course, been proven to relieve stress. One of its many benefits!

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Green Thumbs and Paint

Posted on by abigailcossetteryan in acrylics, artist, brush pen, clemetis, colorwheel, Etsy, floral, flowers, garden, Gardener, home, home decor, Indoor Gardening, ink, inktense, Plants, roses, sketches, watercolors

It’s well reported that plants clean the air. Green is a relaxing color, and the outdoors is proven to reduce stress, etc. etc.

I *love* plants. I have a harder time walking out of a garden center empty handed than just about any other type of store. I tried counting over the winter, how many plants were in my house—not even really counting the army of annuals that I’d moved from my deck to the guest room upstairs—and I lost count. The plants winter in the guest room because it is the brightest room in the house and they would all die if I tried to keep them somewhere else.

So Green. Done this winter.

It’s scientifically proven. Oy. Poor things. Every winter I drag in my herbs with the hope that I can keep them alive indoors, but they never quite make it through with the limited light. This winter I bought a grow light in February, and more of them made it than before.

If I did the plant count today, there would be…um…sixteen on the main floor and fifteen on the bedroom level. Not counting the plants in with the fish (three bettas in three bowls). And that’s with all the other plants out for the summer (including my lemon trees, rose of Sharons, clematis, and assorted herbs).

I suppose that makes it sounds like I have a green thumb…it’s more that I read labels.

When I don’t read the label, I buy plants that won’t ever survive in my house and they die. This is what happens in the fish tank (to be fair, though, the labels on those plants are utterly useless), and I have yet to sort out what’s going on there. Java ferns, anarchis, nameless ground covers…all die. I’ve only just turned to the internet for solutions, feeling pretty dumb for taking so long. Apparently, they sell substrate just for water plants, to build a proper eco system with bacteria and everything. Not to mention even water plants need light.

We’ll see how that experiment goes.

This was from a year or so ago.

For all this…you’d think I’d be better at painting them, but I feel woefully inadequate. It has taken me forever to render a succulent that I actually felt proud of. But, I did! Finally. I’ve managed a little better with roses, but I’ve been at roses longer.  

I guess that’s a huge part of both gardening and painting, you just have to keep practicing, keep training the eye, keep trying. And…possibly read the instructions.

(A number of these pieces are for sale on Redbubble)

Art for Auction

Posted on by abigailcossetteryan in acrylics, artist, beach, Birthday, Christmas, colorwheel, floral, flowers, home, home decor, New Year's Day, Photography, roses, style, Trees, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day, watercolors

I’ve been sitting on these pieces for a while, finally got my buns in gear and photographed them! They can be yours to own if you like, I’m auctioning them all on Ebay.

You can find the auctions here.