Flower Dream

- was the gist of the conversation I recently had with Hive account@josie2214 about doing art.

Some time in July, I felt a tiny creative spark once more. I dusted off my box of paints and poked about the pile of canvases. This round canvas I had left over from my brother’s wedding sign-making. The elements (the color blend of the background and the flowers in general) of the sign were also the inspiration for the Flower Dream, as well as my beautiful flower garden, and the story of Bob Ross.

I had noticed the Bob Ross channel on Twitch streaming his painting show. It made me wonder who was behind the channel and if it was legal for them to stream it nonstop. That led me to the Netflix documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, featuring his son, about how the production company or the individuals who helped Bob Ross with his show allegedly cannibalize his legacy for money years after his passing. To this day, you can see the official accounts on social media with people commenting lovely things on Ross’s talent, gorgeous works, and his delightful personality, oblivious to who they potentially support by doing so. It is so sad.

The sad and dark things aside, we all can do it! We can create our own worlds! As Bob Ross always encouraged us. One brush stroke at a time! Isn’t that a wonderful thought?

I never limit myself to particular materials or techniques. If I could, had the resources, energy, and time, I would be doing crazy things. Insane things! My ambitions for creativity are absolutely limitless. Acrylics are no exception. Each paint and tool has its quirks to figure out. If you check the fear of failure at the door of your creative space, it can be incredibly fun. Just play, dummy! Fuck the fear and fuck the perfectionism, too! It is as if purposefully stabbing yourself in the foot repeatedly and not letting yourself move forward.

None of that! The Flower Dream flowed with an ease as soft clouds on a calm day in the sky. I sometimes note ideas that pop into my mind on a piece of paper lying around on my desk. I had written flowery clouds. As simple as that.

Because it did not require some elaborate sketch or planning, I had complete freedom to play and discover things. Things? Yea. How does the paint move on the canvas? What textures are possible? What brushes create what effects? How quickly do the acrylics dry? How well do they blend and mingle? What do I like about what I can wield out of them? There is a ton to uncover. And since the discovery was a great part of the process, I also chose not to base the flowers on our real world. I pulled them from my imagination instead.

It was heaps of fun to come up with all the different blooms and to work with various paint textures. I especially love how the textures of the clouds turned out. I think they add an extra touch of interest for one's eye.

That is it for this time. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my post! I will be back soon with more!