When I get an idea that something must be done, I have stopped talking about it and started doing it.  My bedroom needed new art- big art- and my hallway, too.  I needed to really work things out of my body artistically (be it with giant brushes, sponges, sticks…nothing was spared…) and I did!  This week’s Instagram is all about diving into a project even if you aren’t sure how it’s going to turn out… and going for the creative ride.  It changed my weekend, my week ahead, and, for sure, my home!!!

It started very early in the morning. After tea, still in sweats and sunglasses, I found my way to Blick art supply where I stocked up.  It seems this place always has a 50% off sale. I learned from brilliant painter friends that acrylic can be thinned a bit with water, or mixed with “mediums” to create more viscous glossy or matte “slippery” gels of various transluscency.   When you are mixing acrylic, I was told that it’s best to start with “heavy body” acrylic paint that is more saturated and thick.  Especially if you are like me and want maximum color wow factor in the end product.  I got a huge vat of glossy medium and every intense color I could get my hands on, including two- not surprising- shades of magenta! And a glossy fine grained metallic gold.

While I was all about mixing up the slippery acrylic medium into a high gloss, I originally thought that this painting would turn out to be a simple color gradient.  And then the gold arrived. And then the reds, the magentas, the pinks… And the cheapie flourescent pink got lots of play yesterday, too.  I got more out of dropping it directly into the design and dragging it out in swirls than just delicately paint-brushing. It was hot. I had an outfit on.  I was ready to go. Nothing was delicate!

This was the first one, blown out gold paint creating a glare that makes it hard to see… but it felt so good, soooo good, to finish later that day.

This was the huge-for-me 36″ X 36″ canvas.  It was not done when I snapped this, but the image gave me perspective.  Art changes in context dramatically.  Put a coffee cup on display in a museum and it can be elevated under certain circumstances to a collector’s item… but a bad painting, no matter where it is, is a bed painting.  This was still in the semi-bad stages, but I loved it anyway and kept pouring on the paint.

The funnest part of the day was that my friend Natalie (her blog All Things Stylish is full of style!) had never painted at all before and it was so much fun to watch her sort of “out-create” her own intimidation at a blank canvas while I out-created” my own!

Make art! It will rock your world and, even if it’s imperfect, as is mine, it will bring more of you to your life!!!  & you can hit me up on Instagram HERE and I’ll follow you back to watch your life unfold in pictures, too!  xoxo Dana