Water Colour Landscape, Skies and Trees, Belfast. And Tea.

At the end of a workshop, I'm often pooped. And the very best thing to do, after a nice cuppa tea, is to go out in the fresh air, either with the dog, or on my lovely bike. There's nothing quite like getting out into the elements to regain your energy. And after helping students to learn to really Observe, getting outside gives me time and space to do some new observing too. One of the best things about living in this city are the wonderful green spaces, the parks and walkways, filled with fabulous trees and birds and great cycle paths. 

This weekend was a Water Colour Workshop in Belfast, doing landscape, trees and skies. The amount of work the students produced was simply amazing. (what a task master..) I'll show you some in the next post. (right now, I'm off out on my bike..!)

 And for me, there's nothing more inspiring than nature, being In it, being a part of it. It confirms that sense of well being.  Just looking, breathing it in, absorbing it, and looking again, helps decide what to paint next. Seeing how light plays, how shadows move, the magic of balance everywhere, the height of the sun, the impact of cloud, shafts of light through the branches and the warm softness in the colours right now in the weak late summer sun, is like the best painting ever. And its what we all strive for, to capture something of what is effortlessly happening naturally all around us, the most amazing beauty - if we remember to Look.

The more we Look, the more we understand. The more we Understand, the more we Love it. The more we Love,  the better we can paint  - whatever the subject. Learn to look and to love, to let go and trust, and everything else will fall into place. I saw this sign in a shop window recently:-

Next up - Weekly and fortnightly courses starting soon, and my Autumn Programme of weekend workshops is now ready. Portrait classes, Oils, Drawing, Teenagers classes and Water Colour. 

  Email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk for deails.