This next painting is one of  my favorites and also one that, as I painted it, I sort of hated. I mean, I didn’t hate it the whole time. It went through what I would consider my stereotypical phases of…wow, I made this?! I love it so much! To…OMG, I hate this – it’s so ugly! To…maybe I can save it. To…oh thank goodness I didn’t give up on it. 

Yeah, that’s pretty much how I roll. I so often start out liking a background I’m working on only to decide later I’ve overworked it and should have stopped early. But then I keep working until I like it again, and everything works out okay. In this case, it worked out great because the final outcome just makes me smile so big.

I love sharing my painting process (when I remember to take pictures), so I’m sharing the process of creating the background with you. The background was the part of this painting that was my nemesis, the part I battled and eventually won over. The final painting is at the bottom of this post.

I hope you enjoy seeing my process!

After the background, I added the girl, the words, and the final touch, the roses.

As always, please let me know if you have questions. I’m happy to share supplies and/or any techniques I used!

xo,

Heather

It’s a rare occasion I make a painting specifically for another person. I normally work almost entirely intuitively. I pull out a canvas or some watercolor paper, grab the paint that catches my eye, perhaps a few pieces of collage paper, and start working. I don’t know what the painting will look like or the theme ahead of time. I enjoy seeing what life wants to unfold on the surface of my art. It’s like the universe speaking through me, and I simply let it flow.

But this painting was different.

This painting came to my imagination. I saw it in my mind before paint ever hit the paper. I knew who it was for. I knew its meaning.

It also happened to be the first time I EVER painted something with the intention to give it as a gift. That idea makes me nervous, and it made me a little nervous that time too. But I knew it was just the right gift, and I knew I needed to paint it for this particular person. This one was special, perhaps more so than any I’d painted before.

I painted True North as a reminder. A reminder to trust your journey. Lean on the one’s you love. Have gentle courage along the way. A reminder that our connections aren’t so random. That we don’t have to do it all alone. A reminder to always follow your truth in order to know where you truly belong. 

Below is a photo walk, taking you through my process in creating this painting. I hope you enjoy it!

(If you have questions, please ask! I’m always happy to share.)

And the final artwork: