Doe
I believe that being Gentle - or, perhaps, simply moving through the world with gentleness - is one of the most underrated strengths that exists. Maybe it’s just because it seems like it should be easy, to be soft and to be kind, compared to all the other things we try to embody on a day to day basis.
Over the last month, while doing this first deep dive into watercolor, I’ve been trying hard to be a little more gentle with myself. I’ve spent enough hours practicing metalsmithing that, at this point, I am making fewer and fewer mistakes and those that DO crop up are often easily remedied - but with watercolor, I just don’t have that experience yet.
Which means, some days, my studio time has been ALL mistakes and weird washes and muddy hues. And as a recovering perfectionist, it’s been hard not to beat myself up about it.
So - I’ve been imagining myself as a deer. Doe, specifically. Carefully picking my way through the trees, through the ferns, one dainty hoof at a time. I’ve tried to keep my eyes soft (instead of with the pinpoint intensity of a border collie, as is my usual) and let the water and pigments flow where they may. I’ve learned to just watch and wait (like Doe might do, just at the forest’s edge) when I think I’ve ruined a painting, letting things dry and settle while I practice stillness. And more often than not?
All that calm is rewarded with beauty I could not have controlled or predicted, even if I’d tried.
This painting was one of the very last I finished - and I filmed the process, condensing a whole day’s work down into a few short minutes. Part of practicing gentleness this time around also meant setting aside my not-so-small obsession with producing EVERY bit of artwork (in any form) that I share - so unlike in videos past, the lovely guitar in the background is not me playing (though I hope to someday have the skill to play a piece like this!).
As this year winds down, I hope that you’re finding ways to practice gentleness with yourself, too. And if you need a guide at any time, definitely look to Doe.
.
.
.
Original watercolor painting (8”x6”) available Saturday, December 11 at 12pm Mountain Time!