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DIY
What Did I Learn from My First Watercolor Paintings?
Lots of things, but most of all, I learned that it’s hard
God only knows that I do not need another hobby! I already have several, and they keep me busy. I’ve made handcrafted jewelry since 2005, own an Etsy shop, sew, knit, crochet, and love to take photos.
In addition, I write daily, have published two books of poetry — one an anthology containing the work of 24 other authors, some across the globe — and manage two blogs. I’ve written about my hobbies before because they are a large part of my life.
But something drew my interest in learning to paint with watercolors this spring. I’m not sure what it was. My eldest son was painting for a while with watercolors and did some really nice pieces. He moved on to woodblock prints and those are great as well. Our youngest son is an artist in the Twin Cities and makes a living from his paintings. Our middle son creates by (re)inventing products — necklaces, skateboards, lamps, etc — by using 3D printers and CNC machines. My husband is talented and is perfecting his segmented bowls — some of which have almost 2,000 pieces.
But, I wanted to try to paint. I’m drawn to it because of the alchemy of it. You start with nothing — a blank page and some pigments made stronger…