Thanks for joining me!
My artistic journey began in 2001 while I was living in the Vancouver area. At the time I worked in the financial industry as a Licensed Advisors Assistant. Investments, Insurances, tax considerations, dividends, capital gains, bonds, equities, Bulls and Bears. Daily dealing with the cherished clients, inside wholesalers, corporate partners and all while trying to stay up on markets, policies, regulations and all the other fun stuff that happens in the day to day life of a busy Financial Planner office.
I started to paint purely as a means of relaxation. Picking up an inexpensive set of brushes and Liquitex Basic’s acrylic starter pack and a canvas board. I carefully selected the perfect spot to set up my small wooden art easel. Right by the patio window, looking out at the flowers blooming in their planter boxes draping the deck rail. And what better than a view that would allow me to see the top of Mt Baker on a clear sunny day.
I was ready, everything was lined up just right. Brushes, paint on pallet, nice fresh water cup for cleaning, a rag to catch any drips, the lovely sound of Reflections music to relax by on the CD player… ah it was perfect… I was in the Zone. As I picked up that first #2 flat brush, loaded it with paint…(I was channeling Bob Ross)… I fearfully made my first brush stroke. For anyone who is accustom to a life of order and structure, you would probably understand that this first act of taking a perfectly white cleanly stretched canvas and randomly filling the top with Phalo Blue was almost enough to break out in a sweat! Let alone try to plan out what to paint in your minds eye with no previous lessons other than the last Art Class in high school – umpteen years ago.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been ‘crafty’ – crochet, some random Christmas craft project, even a little bit of Donna Dewberry style toll painting on gourds and pieces of wood. So its not like being creative or using a brush was foreign to me – but there’s a pretty sizable difference between using good old Folk Art or Apple Barrel paint and following the traced out lines and color map to make a kitschy looking scarecrow angel carrying a pumpkin, to trying to create a landscape which in my mind was going to be the quality of a Robert Bateman wildlife painting. (roll eyes and insert laugh here) So today’s plan was to try to work from the 2001 Landscapes of Canada – July’s mountain lake, (which was this years free calendar from one of the investment fund companies for all the business placed that year.) WHAT WAS I THINKING!!
But I persevered – I was now obsessed with the need to make those blue strokes of paint look like something because after all structure and order were mainstream in my world. But wait, I had to tell myself the reason for painting was to ‘unwind’, ‘relax’, ‘take a deep breath’, ‘loosen up’, ‘chill’… most important…not think about work.
End result – Mist over a Mountain Lake – March 2001. by Carrie Saur 16×20 Acrylic (not for sale)
Note to self: I still need to work on tree development more
So why have I decided now this 18 yrs later to start a website and blog. Well – life has come full circle it seems, and I now find myself living back in Spruce Grove Alberta. I’ve taking on the roll of fulltime support and care giver to my folks who are in their 80’s and dealing with physical and mental deterioration. Daily I see changes in my Mom (Bertie) who has what is called Early Onset Alzheimer/Dementia – some days are great some days not so much. And Dad (Farmer) well he’s had his ailments at 88 – so I am doing my best to help them remain in home vs going to assisted living for as long as they possible can. As for me, well it’s taken me out of my zone for a bit, and I’ve found the best respite is to go to my little studio garage with the green wall and paint. I’ve been having all kind of fun, exploring new techniques and ideas. Following along and learning methods of other artists, as well have recently joined the Allied Arts Council here in Spruce Grove to finally put some of my favorite pieces on display and up for sale.
I am definitely realizing the benefits of these little creative time outs, and now have a desire to see if some of my artistic journey may provide a therapeutic escape for others. Perhaps to find a piece you would love to have hang on your wall, in your office or on your desk. It is my hope that you might use this fluid art medium for your on little break in the day as you let your mind relax as your eyes look through the painting.
So I would like to say thanks so much for reading my First Blog entry. I will be slowly adding pieces as they are finished, from time to time will add a link to in instructional video on a technique and share in my therapeutic art journey possible with some stories about Bertie and The Farmer and improving my site as I go along. Please keep checking in and I honestly do welcome your feed back. 🙂
Until then my God bless you and keep a hedge of protection around you.
Csaur
Some recent works in the Little Studio Garage with the Big Green Wall
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
