Freeing the Artist

In the early hours I am awake, feeling rested and not quite ready to get up and start the day so I am checking my email and Facebook. Few days ago I signed up for a little course about to paint birds which I would like to do and as I was listening to the woman she was not working in the manner that would most suit me but I was learning a lot. It's going to take me a bit of time to work through her course, a lot of good technique which I want to have and builds upon a course I took last year. But then I said I just need to draw a bird so I drew a not great bird But one is better than any I have done before: none. Here's the bird.

I never tried to draw a bird before, this is clearly identifiable as a bird. I am happy with my first bird, I can actually look at it and feel like it’s a bird!

Then I decided to proceed to pastels to do a sketch from memory and so I sketched the sea smoke from Saturday am. 1 degree and a bit windy. -12 with wind chill.

So here are the photos that I did not look at, that were my inspiration.

So then I decided to go back to the pastels and play with it and just let whatever happened Happen. I love roses.

And then I decided I should draw a heart because I've been sketching and painting hearts for many years and that I would go to bed after this one. I was in bed before 10. Can you believe that the night owl relinquished the night?