Painter or Writer or What?

I thought you might like an inside view of what a writer might also do....


Imagine this canvas bunny surrounded by clover and white blooms. I hope. I'm painting it from a photo I took of a yard rabbit. Lovely photo. The canvas bunny is dubious at this point. :)

He's waiting while I'm working on my writing projects, poor unfinished thing. But hey, if he doesn't turn out, I'll just gesso him out and do something else.

I've lost some painting skills, because of not keeping up with painting. But my family likes these efforts and they're encouraging.

It's difficult for a writer who loves to do many creative projects to write and only write. (I love to bake, too.)

I love painting, and painted before I was published. But I'm getting back into painting now, and had to completely rebuy my acrylics.

Acrylics suit my fast pace now, as I am now a writer, busy with writing projects. Stacks of blank canvases wait.

These ducklings were my first return to painting. They are nothing but little fluff balls, the picture taken while walking along a river. I do like direction-type paintings and water, but gee, I should have chosen something easier than those ducklings. I like the one above and to the left of the mother; one who sets his/her own direction. Their little beaks are nothing but a stub. Sigh.

Because I find small painting difficult, these seagulls weren't that easy either. This basic photo was taken off the coast of California, but I fudged a little on the splash over the rocks. Palette knife would have been great on the rocks, but I've not yet returned to that level yet.

Okay, graphic artists. You can probably create that, too, but truly there is nothing like the drag of a brush on canvas. I spoke to another writer/painter who loves her brushes and canvases. She is also torn between loves and how to spend her creative time. Many writers are also creative in other fields, i.e. sewing handbags for one writer. (By the way, graphic artists, I'd love to use a drawing tablet and stylus, too.:))

Speaking as a painter (and not the quality I was when painting more) the colors and canvas also appear in written descriptions.

Generally, these creative streaks run writers, who pick up from their "other" sides. 

When I first started writing, this was what editors noticed: the scenes portrayed in words. But I saw them in my mind. They also noticed dialogue and characterization, and the rest, I set out to learn.

Somewhere I read that it takes two hours a day to perfect a skill. Again, it's difficult to make a time-choice for writer/painters. But there are plenty of us out here....

If you are a painter, photographer, etc., I understand.