Talking out loud about ideas forces you to articulate them clearly for an audience and while you hear yourself talking it helps yu clarify your thoughts. (Even if the audience is only the cat, you can still say them out aloud and it will be valuable).
- Instead of jumbled ideas running through your head vaguely, like dishes piling up on the sink, you have to put them into some sort of order.
- You sort the wheat from the chaff.
- This can generate new ideas which pop into your head while you are speaking.
- It can also cement some of your thoughts.
- It clarifies your thinking for later when you start dealing with the project.
- Sometimes the cat or your audience may have suggestions – but this is secondary to the process.
- Writing a blog does this for me and helps me reflect and grounds me – so for this, I owe you some thanks.
I have been trying to loosen up in my painting for a while and describing the process of painting that I went through at 18, has made it very real. So I have gone back to my irises, and had fun, suspended judgement and played a while.
I really LOVE Irises and your attached photo is truly a beauty. My calligraphy group recently invited the Australian Botanic artist, Heidi Willis to give us a two day workshop on botanic painting,using Winsor & Newton artist grade watercolours. She encouraged me to paint “a something” after she left to return home. Is it ok for me to give your Iris a go?
You can see Heidi’s botanic paintings here …….
http://www.heidiwillis.com.au
Even if it doesn’t turn out, I would love to at least give it a try.
Hi Heidi
You are welcome. If you can wait a couple of days I can send you a few other photos of the same one, plus a couple of others.
Lin
Hello Lin,
I am Sue, not Heidi ! :-)) Yes, I will happily wait a few days, as the photos of your Irises are really quite speckie. Here in Townsville in Northern Queensland where I live now, there is no way we can grow Irises or really any of the flowers you can take for granted in the UK. Another flower I love is the Bird of Paradise or Strelitzia; the colours which Nature can throw together and make them ‘work’ is amazing. THAT one I do have growing and hope to paint it next time it takes it into its mind to flower !
By the way a friend gave me “Rope of Words” earlier this year and I have read it over and over, a beautiful story and “just right” illustrations, I love it. Best wishes, Sue.
Hi Sue
of course you are Sue not Heidi – I just went mindless for a moment! I have sent you a few high res irises by We Transfer – if it doesn’t arrive check your junkmail box. Enjoy working from them. I have spent a lot of time painting the strelitzia – as a deign and as a watercolour, and even have a card of it which is still popular.
http://www.linkerrdesign.co.uk/wp2/product/strelizia/ I love the way it keeps unfloding and was so happy to see so many while in Australia. I’d love to paint it again. And yes, it was Rae who gave you the Rope of Words. LIn
Hello Lin, The first photo of this beautiful Iris reminds me of a dancing woman and I can see it, stylised, included in your illustrations for your new book DANCE. It would have such a lovely flow of dress movement if appropriate for part of the poem. Just my tuppence worth! (I am loving living in the UK with my partner, David!) Warm regards, Sue Williams