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New Tote Bags & More! Yay! š¤©
In and amongst all the admin work and all the prep there is little to no time for art but managed to grab a small hour to create a quick sweet thing. š š± šāā¬ ššš
Frensies! Iām SO MEGA excited because itās nearly time! On 1st September, A Year of Magic & Fairy Tales will open for enrolment, and for the first 1,000 magical souls, you can join at the lowest price available (these always go fast, so keep an eye out!).
If youāve been longing for a year of creativity, comfort, and everyday enchantment, this is your gentle nudge. Weāll wander through glowing forests, meet enchanted creatures, and rediscover the magic hidden in the ordinary, with a sparkling taster event to start our adventure! š§āØš¦
We are deep in the trenches of prepping this magical event, I canāt wait to share it with you! ššš
If your heart needs a warm, creative hug and a sprinkle of fairy dust, this is for you. Full details, teacher line-up, and taster info are coming very soon; watch your inbox!
If you`re not on the newsletter, now is the time to join! Join the newsletter here: https://bit.ly/WillowingNews to be the first to get all the deets!! ššš (or link in my bio/ linktree/ stories)
Celebrate Joy. In 2014, I went on a retreat in Bali with the wonderful Flora Bowley, and for some time afterwards, I found myself playing with the techniques and ideas I learned from her in my own art. I loved discovering all the luminous colours and acrylic brands Flora used; Quinacridone Magenta, Cobalt Teal, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold (sadly discontinued, I think), and Turquoise Phthalo have all become favourites over the years!
This painting is one of those where I experimented with methods and ideas from Flora, but you can definitely still see the āTamnessā shining through. The whimsy and quirkiness are classic Tam! I love learning from other artists and weaving little pieces of their style into my own. Over time, this process gradually transforms into something thatās uniquely yours.
Thatās why I always reassure my students not to worry about ācopyingā a teacherās style too much. In the beginning, you might follow closely; eventually, youāll drop the bits that donāt resonate, and keep the things that do, putting your own spin on them until, voilĆ , a whole new style emerges! Itās such a beautiful thing, because weāre all interconnected as humans; we learn from each other in so many ways, and itās lovely to have a legacy of teachers leaving gentle traces within the art you create.
For me, it speaks to a kind of spiritual oneness. It reminds me how connected we all are to the whole. āØšāØ
Have you ever noticed little hints of your favourite artists peeking through in your own work, or a moment when something you learned from someone else transformed into something uniquely yours? Iād love to hear your stories!
This is day 17 of a āgentle return to social mediaā read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir š±
When I was a teenager, I collected elephant statues; by the time I was 18, I mustāve had hundreds. Iāve always adored elephants. There`s something about their grounded presence and quiet wisdom that feels profoundly comforting. I love that theyāre matriarchal, that they mourn their dead, that they move through the world with a seeming intelligence and heart.
When Andy and I lived in Sri Lanka for three years, we visited an elephant sanctuary and it was honestly one of the most magical experiences of my life. Watching the gentle connection between carers and elephants moved me deeply. They had a beautiful closeness I silently envied!
So itās no surprise that elephants have wandered their way into my art again and again. I love painting them both whimsically and realistically. Their shapes are so satisfying to work with: cute chonky feet, soulful eyes, those expressive trunks and giant ears; itās like theyāre built for art! šØšļø
This piece, painted back in 2014, is a special one. I was exploring how to bring more āgrungeā and texture into my work; layering deeply, playing with contrasts. The rough, earthy background felt like the perfect contrast to the milky-white skin of the elephant, who gazes out with such a soft, knowing expression. Even here, she seems to whisper: be gentle. be wise. be still.
I hope she brings some of that same quiet comfort to your day, too. š¤ š
This is day 16 of a āgentle return to social mediaā read more about this practice here: http://bit.ly/3IHFxir š±
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