creativity – Page 3

Something is always blooming in Seattle and my small garden offers a constant parade of subjects for drawing and painting. Much more fun than weeding!

This photo taken in late fall, looking down from above a large ceramic planter, shows fading heuchera and Japanese forest grass leaves above a cascade of flowering rosemary. I liked the composition enough to use as the basis for a watercolor sketch.

I’d recently found some dusty art supplies that had been tucked away for years in various parts of the house. Among them was a set of watercolor pencils that I don’t recall buying and didn’t really know how to use. The colors were not impressive to draw with, but when I brushed water over the pigments, they became more vibrant as they melted and blended together. These could be interesting.

I used a grid system to transfer the design from the photo to a larger sheet of paper. Treating each square of the grid as a small abstract on its own, lets me concentrate on each section’s shapes, values, colors and textures. The grid marks can be erased, painted over or treated as design elements, as I did in this color sketch.

I parked my art-making skills for many years while I focused on a business career. It was exciting to use a different kind of creativity in my many ‘jobs,’ and I’m proud to have made a positive impact throughout my worklife. My work was rewarding and I am grateful for all the adventures and knowledge I gained along the way.

Art was not absent from my life during these years. Collecting art, including items for our home and wearables, supports other artists and gives us joy as we live every day among their art. We’ve also become creative cooks and gardeners, artful endeavors which involve even more senses.

Since I retired in the Spring, my summer was focused on my garden and I began to document the beauty which unfolded throughout the season, with photographs.

I will continue to garden but I’ve discovered my broader purpose in retirement is to try to live more artfully in everything I do.

With the benefit of Julia Cameron’s book for retirees, (and other creative souls) writing my memoire helps me to recall many creative pursuits I explored at different times of my life. Starting in childhood, sewing, designing, metal arts, jewelry design, sculpture, drawing and painting all brought me joy and could be artforms to explore again.

I’m now working to revive my painting and drawing skills to see whether I can make art again. My local Senior Center offers a weekly watercolor class that is both affordable and encouraging. I’ve just discovered Urban Sketchers and am eager to see if I could try this artform. Through a book about the discipline of daily painting by Carol Marine, I find inspriation at Daily Paintworks every day!

I am again in love with art supply stores and find Daniel Smith to be a tremendous resource here in Seattle.

Revisting artists whose work speaks to me, prompts me to analyze why. And exploring other artists’ work in visual arts, music, drama and writing, sparks ideas for my own future work.

Exercising both mind and body will be essential to sustaining a creative life, so I’m walking, observantly, most days, seeking subjects to draw or paint. And, thanks to Humana’s Silver Sneakers program, several times a week I’m taking active classes at a local gym, in a variety of strength-building activities.

My days are beginning to feel more structured and I’m gaining a new sense of positive outlook about this new chapter of my life. If you have insights to share about your creative retirement, please share them!

Tag: creativity

Inspiration from my garden

Reviving dormant creative skills

My new (more creative?) life