What Do I Do This Summer?

"The Homeward Journey," $850.00, at Oatlands, Leesburg, VA

 May 2013

I'm looking forward to the summer.  Something magical happens to me when I'm outside painting "en plein air."  I've decided not to teach for a few months, and to take a break during June and July, and spend as much time as I can outdoors.

Some of my students have been asking me:  "What are we going to do during the summer?  Who shall we take lessons from?"

Here's what I recommend that you do during the summer:

Do something that you've always wanted to do, but you've been putting it off, saying....oh, I'll get there one day.  This summer is the day, the time and the hour.  Go to Europe, or go bungee jumping, or learn how to high dive or go mountain climbing or drive across the country.

Do something that fills you with fear.  For me, this will definitely be something associated with very high altitudes.  

Walk slowly.  

Breathe deeply and inhale every fragrant scent that nature makes.

Sit in the sun.  Fall asleep.

Day dream.  I'll bet you NEVER do this.  Spend hours lolling around in a chair on a porch, rocking and listening and breathing.....

Fall asleep in the sun, again.

Take the most fabulous vacation you've ever dreamed of.  Think about paying for it later.

Go on a picnic.

Draw and paint outdoors.  Make mistakes.  Flounder.  Rip some paper.  Scream...laugh....cry....feel.  Draw and paint some more.  Don't worry about what things will "look" like.  Paint with new mediums that you've never used before.  Make more mistakes and laugh at them.  They will become abstracts or collages later.  Take a sketch book with you everywhere and draw everything that you see in restaurants, parks, the gas station, along the road and in church.  Pen and ink in the good things.  Experiment.  

Breathe, and enjoy yourself and give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn anything that you want to from them. 

Just have a great summer.  One never knows.  Squeeze everything you can out of this one.......

My very best, Catherine Hillis, www.catherinehillis.com