falling in love

yay, it is monday, and that means 52 weeks post! this is week 6 and the prompt is to write about falling in love with a technique.

my first collage painting

i guess i have always been artistic. i remember drawing for hours on end when i was a little girl. my mom always had us (my sister and i) in art classes. when i was in high school, i took a drawing class at hobby lobby. during this time i learned how to copy pictures with pencil. i was really good too. then for the next decade, i did nothing with my artistic talents.

it wasn’t until i wanted art for my home that i started painting. i started with simple acrylic paintings, mostly simple shapes. but painting for me was just a means to an end. all i cared about was decorating my home. i was not into the process of making these paintings. in all honesty, making these paintings was boring. it was the same way i felt when doing pencil. nothing really sparked my interest. it wasn’t enjoyable. i knew i was good, but nothing spoke to me and inspired me to create.

then my mom gave me the book taking flight, by kelly rae roberts. in it, kelly rae shares techniques for collage painting. so i went out and bought myself all the needed supplies and started creating. it was so much fun! i loved the messiness of collage. i felt so free. the painting didn’t have to be perfect. the bigger the mess i made, the more amazing the painting looked. i actually enjoyed the process of painting for the first time ever. i was in love with the process. everyone who saw my paintings, loved them. it was then that i knew that this was the beginning of something awesome. my heart came to life and i started loving every minute of creating. any spare time i had, i would be off painting. i was inspired everywhere i looked. and it was really a healing process for me. it allowed me to express a part of my heart that i didn’t even know was possible.

fast forward to now… and i still love this technique. as a stay at home mom, collage really fits my lifestyle. i can leave my painting and come back to it. i usually paint in little spurts, ten minutes at a time. i will do the background, let it dry, come back a few hours later and keep going. i also love collage because i get to play with pattern. i am in love with pattern and enjoy all the ways i get to use it in my paintings.

what is your favorite technique?