Paint what you love
Lately, as I’ve been painting, I’ve slowly come to realise something very simple: it’s best to paint the things you love and the things you know well. When you love something, you naturally want to look at it a little longer. You begin to notice its shape, where the light comes from, whether the colours feel warm or cool, and all those little details you might normally overlook. Familiarity matters too. Painting something familiar doesn’t necessarily mean it is easier. It simply means that you already have a feeling for it. Even without a teacher beside you telling you where to place the next brushstroke or how to get the shape right, if you slow down, look carefully, and keep painting, the shape will gradually emerge. If the shape is wrong, you can adjust it. If the colour doesn’t feel right, try again. Too much water? Let it dry. Too little? Add a little more. There’s really no need to rush to make a painting “good”. For me, learning watercolour is becoming more and more about learning to slow down. To look a little more carefully, to paint with a little more patience, to accept the unexpected marks and colours created by water, and also to accept that sometimes things simply don’t turn out the way I imagined. Of course, the finished painting matters. But what matters more is that, while I am painting, I feel quiet and happy. Perhaps the real joy of painting has never been the moment when a painting is finished, but everything that happens along the way.
