Art & Positive Thinking

I have really been getting into the book I am reading - it's called 'Ask and it is Given' by Esther & Jerry Hicks. It's really opened my eyes to the way I think and brought to my attention that, although I like to think of myself as a "positive thinking", I could be doing a lot more to improve this!

I have also been thinking more about the happiness and positivity I gain from painting. When I paint a scene I am imagining being in that place and the amount of joy I feel when I am there. When I look at my paintings later on I am filled with that same warmth that is indescribable. Sometimes I can almost feel the sunshine and the way it radiates off the white sandy beaches and turns stretches of ocean into a glittering mass of jewels. When you go somewhere and the water is totally clear it is amazing - there's a whole other life beneath the sea and it's so incredibly peaceful.

I have always believed that we create our own destiny and positive thinking is just a small part of this. I find that art can be a huge mood booster and any image that you associate with feeling happy can be very therapuetic. I like to call it using 'imagery' and I believe it's used quite a lot these days in stress management. For me, remembering my favourite places allows me to remember how I felt in each one of those places - therefore engulfing me with happiness!

My paintings feature large, open spaces and that 'space' and remoteness is one of the biggest attractions about them for me. It's not so much the places as what they represent - and the fact that living in a built up area doesn't give me the chance to experience this everyday.

I also believe colours can be mood-boosters. You'll notice that I use lots of blues and greens in my work - I rarely introduce new colours in fact because I am just so drawn to the differing shades. I am always amused by the phrase, "blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between". I can't imagine painting without combining the two colours to make the shades of the sea - so I for one can confirm that blue and green most definitely do mix well together! (Although I suppose certain shades could be too 'harsh'.)

Blue is a soothing colour - it's known to be relaxing, calming and peaceful. Green invigorates the mind while still feeling restful. Bright shades of these colours can inject energy and vibrancy into a room. I like to think that whilst my paintings are bright, they still remain relaxing - and more importantly happy!