‘I smile when I view my watercolour loon painting on the wall of my cabin. The mother loon is with her baby chick, just like I have been a mom with my own chicks here at my beautiful lake.’
The Common Loon is my spirit animal, or rather, spirit bird, when I am at the lake. Their eerie calls have always drawn me in, and when I arrive at the lake and hear the call of the loon, I know I am in my second home. Because of my love of the loon I have many things around my cabin that are loon-themed. Some things I have collected, and some I have made. My watercolour painting of a mother and her baby loon is one such creation of mine.
Several decades ago I took one watercolour painting course. I thought I was fairly adept at learning how to paint with water colours, my teacher, a rather famous local artist was not so supportive. Regardless of her initial opinion, each of us has our own painting style and ‘artistic license’, so, I generally do like how my paintings turn out, whether I am painting rocks, wood, or doing a more traditional painting on paper.
I painted a Mother loon and her baby chick in watercolours, and I am happy with it. It is simply framed with an inexpensive frame from a big box store. My only regret is that I should have used a glare-free glass on the painting because I do get quite a bit of glare from the bright outdoor sunshine reflecting inside where I have the painting hung. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world. There is hangs, in between two other loon paintings, they were two loon greeting cards that I framed by an artist named ‘Tomlinson’, I believe. I should probably admit that I have over a dozen loon greeting cards framed in simple glass and black frames throughout my cabin. It’s a ‘thing’ for me. I feel confident enough that my simple watercolour painting is as nice as several of those done by dozens of artists, and really, that’s not the point, is it? I did the painting myself even if it is simple and not a Monet.
Am I perfect painter, no, but I am a creative spirit, an artist and crafter (at least in my own mind), but isn’t that all that matters? I love to create, I love my loons, so I did my own painting of them, and I’m happy with it. It’s the joy of creation and accomplishment and the moments of viewing when I am in residence at my beautiful little piece of paradise that matters to me. Finding time to paint or create in the peacefulness of a warm, sunny afternoon is part of the joy of having a summer retreat. It feeds your soul and brightens your day. And the rewards of your work, well, sometimes it is just the journey, but sometimes the destination is pretty great, too!
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