2020: A Test of Resiliency

When I started my new journal, I left the beginning pages blank and decided to complete them as an overview, like the saying, “Hindsight is 20/20,” of the time it took me to fill the journal.  

I started this visual journal at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown and have for the most part finished all of the pages, so I thought I would do a simple quick inside cover so I could move on to a new visual journal.  However, like 2020, it took a complete turn!

A few days ago, we had a hail storm. I just couldn’t watch the hail come down.  I closed all of the curtains and cried.  We had been working so hard and long to landscape, just like many others, and I was angry and saddened that it could be destroyed so easily and quickly.

My husband said, “2020, the year to test resiliency.”

So true, a long winter, a slow to start spring, lockdown, lots of wind, water flooding our corrals and into our hay field...” 

Yesterday I said to him, “It still could have been a lot worse.”

In the past, we had flipped buildings, broken windows, destroyed siding, branches flung into our house, our crop destroyed.

No one was injured, our animals were safe, no family members have been ill because of the virus...

Our conversation gave me the re-inspiration for this front page.  It began with watercolour and was going to keep the page simple, light and and easy.

As I was painting on another project, I decided to paint some of my leftover acrylic paint onto another visual journal page.  The black paint seeped onto the watercolour page I was working on, and it totally evolved my whole idea.

I saved some of the watercolour flowers, but changed many of them with acrylic paint to add more contrast with the black background.  I really love how that turned out!

                                                    

On my continual journey to improve in painting faces, this woman appeared.  I could spend many more hours fussing and trying to improve her, but I have decided to declare her done before I mess something up again and have to spend many more hours trying to colour match and adjust.  

   

A lesson I have to keep telling myself, “Stop!  You’ve done enough!  Remember you are learning.  It is in your journal, not on a wall, so stop fussing and have fun!”

Do any of you have the same problem... overworking, fussing, obsessing?

As I wrapped this page up, the following words of wisdom echoes in my brain, ”It takes hundreds of okay paintings to get to the great paintings,” and “It is only paper, so try your best, learn from it and move on!”

2020, a test in resiliency, indeed!