Do Love, Love Do

I just wanted to write about a new ray of light in my life.

I have not drawn or painted since my teens.  Recently I started to go to art class on a Tuesday night.  Here I learn about the magic of working with watercolour. And I have ALOT to learn!

It is a civilised event, with adults sitting around in a studio.  The very cool resident artist floats between us.

There is always smooth tunes playing in the background and last week, there was tea with fresh scones served at half time.   A few months back,  the best orange cake I’ve ever tasted.  (Though I would still go to art class even without the food or music offerings).

Last week I spilt my water all over my work.  The week before, I cleaned my brush in a cup of tea without knowing and drank it.  Hopefully I wasn’t painting with the blue paints.  Apparently those ones are carcinogenic.

And aside from whether I can even draw and paint or not, the benefits of the process are so cathartic and therapeutic.  It’s helping me as much, if not more than sitting in the big blue velour chair that I rested in several times since this journey began.

Each week, there is now a couple of hours of getting lost in painting.  It is very meditative. Much has previously been written about the benefits of art therapy before. But now I totally get it.

What is even more awesome to me is that my six year old son who avoids painting and all things crafty, has been asking to see my work from every class.  Each week when I arrive home late, I place it on the mantle piece.  When he and Mr Three get out of bed in the morning they run out for breakfast and critique my work from the previous nights class which is hilarious to listen to.

My eldest, has also been keenly watching me paint at the dining table and has started sitting with me and painting himself.  Last night he painted a Union Jack which he titled “The Reunion Jack”.

We sit together and through this creative process he talks to me with ease about the things he normally finds hard to talk about. And that in itself is an incredibly wonderful thing.

It is mind blowing to me that I could disconnect as an adult in such a huge way from the things I enjoyed as a youngster and find myself reconnecting with them through the trauma of the last two years.  Lesson learnt.  Do what you love, love what you do.

So just in case I haven’t made it clear to all my friends and family yet,  art class rocks! It really does!