Spring, it’s my absolute favourite season, and this Spring is living up to the feeling of new beginnings. In the spirit of this feeling I had the desire to paint Sakura trees, (cherry Blossom). A symbol of rebirth, life, new beginnings and staying present in the moment. They only bloom for around 2 weeks every year, which only makes them more special to behold.
It’s been wonderful to pick up a brush again after what has felt like an age. It’s felt like I was starting to become a tree, just waiting to bloom myself. And as with all waiting, you end up realising that no one is going to make that decision or that push for you and sometimes, you just have to go for it yourself.
So that’s what I did, I didn’t draw the picture out, I decided to look at some references, kindly allowed by some friends of mine who have recently travelled to Japan, (not jealous at all), and paint freehand and just see what happens.
Painting really is just the act of trusting in yourself over and over and believing the end will result in a picture or feeling you are happy with. Maybe it’s the gambler in me, maybe I’m just quite patient, but I love seeing a painting come together, and it’s more exciting when you don’t know if it’s going to work or not.
Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely moments in this painting where I thought “Oh, I’ve screwed up here” but that’s when you have to lean into trusting yourself again. Who knew painting could be so empowering? I felt this especially once I put the background colour in, but I had committed at that point, especially painting in watercolour, so I adapted and went for it.
Mirroring Spring, painting is a great time for reflection, contrary to the length of this video, painting isn’t as fast as it seems on social media! I enjoyed having the time, and I promised myself I would keep making that time.
So, what do you think? What is your favourite season and why? I’d love to hear about it. And who knows, maybe I’ll make a painting for each season too.
Here is Sakura, you can learn some of the techniques shown in this video at one of my upcoming classes, or commission me for a unique painting. You can view my classes and prices here on my website.
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