Monday 23 August 2010

Ocean Green- "to the sea"



Well, can I just say it's VERY nice to return to creating after a weekend of sick children, and not feeling so great myself! But with a small window for being creative I had to grab it with both hands (and a paintbrush!)...and so the reason I am unabashedly early and organised (which if you know me is not like me at all!)
So this weeks Colour challenge is Ocean Green with the twist of "to the sea" theme too....
First instincts were immediately drawn to the sea turtle which Louise Gale posted..we have this beautiful little kids book, probably as old as me, called "the smallest turtle". We all know it as "to the sea, to the sea" because that is the song that he hears whispering and urging him on past all the perils...so it was the obvious answer....
However, I went with the next obvious one instead!..for me anyway..as being a midwife and mumma I'm never too far away from the connection with water and where we all came from.
I have spent many a day on the beach feeling my soul cleansed and refreshed, burdens lifted as i watched the waves roll in and drift away, imagining myself floating weightlessly in its womb. (it is Scotland remember...subzero temperatures almost all year so I'm doing well imagining !!) and often wondered if my affinity with the sea came from my origins in water?
This curiosity goes further when having a waterbirth with my youngest girl....with her gentle transition from womb to water, such a tranquil entrance to the world...i wonder if this connection will be even stronger in her? She is certainly never happier than when fully submerged in water...clothes on or not!! :)
I wonder if any of you feel the same? Does the sea or ANY kind of water speak to you?!
Anyhoos, that is inspiration behind this weeks piece...I hope you like it!





I've added on the last pages of the "Smallest Turtle" by Lynley Dodd, so sweet!

10 comments:

  1. I love it and I had no idea you deliver babies! How cool! Bringing new life naturally into the world. The water definitely speaks to me. I was born on an island and spent all my life on the beach and haven't tired of it. I so love your interpretation of this week's colour challenge. Well done!!! By the way, check out my blog cuz I TAGGED you. sorry!

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  2. love it.

    love water in general. on a bad day, i take many and long baths. i think it's because like you said, it's where we came from and it's comforting...
    i don't live by the ocean or sea, so my tub will do!

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  3. I'm defo with you on the bath too...after a stressful day you can often find me steaming in a roasting hot one! Have you ever seen images of the baboons in the hot springs of japan while the snow falls around them? There they are up there in the highest climes steaming away. looking so serene and knowing....One day i dream of going there and joining them :)

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  4. Hi Jenny, Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog. Your artwork here is beautiful. I would love to be able to express my feelings through paint but really have no idea where to start. Perhaps that is one of the things I need to try out this year?! I love the sea. I live near the coast and go to sit by the water every week, sometimes every day. There's something about the sound of the waves and the sea air that leaves me feeling refreshed and cleansed somehow. I can really relate to your thoughts about water. I love swimming too, and anything to do with the sea and sea creatures. Maybe I was a mermaid in a former life... (or possibly an old trout...) :)

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  5. What an amazing painting! I too love water, especially the ocean. It seems to soothe and calm me and wash away all my worries. I would love to live within walking distance to the beach one day...I can dream, can't I? :)

    Esther

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  6. Jenny thanks for the lovely comment on my blog. OMG you're right, Shakin Stevens! I can remember one of my brothers spending hours trying to do the dance xx

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  7. Hello, Jenny--I've been wanting to take a stroll through your blog since you popped over on mine a week or so ago. I love it- I love your spirit and how you clearly trend toward a joyful outlook...Your work makes me happy, and I've just been smiling and smiling as I read. I got to this post and recognized your piece from the combo Color challenge/ Found Art Friday in August! It reminded me of how, despite the fact that I am not at all comfortable in the ocean, my boys and I discovered some lovely spring-fed lakes to swim in this summer and I was in heaven- So freshwater is for me: rivers to sit in an let wash over you, or lakes to float in, staring up at the sky. :)

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  8. Beautiful painting! One of my favorite past times during my pregnancy was bathing and in the run up for the big day trying out the birthing pool felt just so right and best way to bring my son into this world. It didn't happen that way unfortunately. But your painting speaks to me because it reminds me of the happy times of my pregnancy. I haven't had that in a long time, thank you for painting this and sharing it here.

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