Studio News, Latest Works & Musings On A Coastal Life

I've been wanting to create peaceful water paintings for a while now - just water and nothing else.  Water is tricky to paint because it's constantly moving and changing, and reflections are different colors and values than the objects being reflected.  So I gave it a try this month, and here are my results.  I didn't include any reflections as I wanted to focus on just the water.

 

I started with several experiments on paper first to get a feel for the brush strokes and blending required to indicate light ripples on the water.  I didn't want any large waves, just a peaceful water image that was slightly abstract. 

Here's the first completed canvas with a simple overall blue color palette:

 

"Peaceful Water, Blue     12x12"

 

 

My second water painting includes more colors and detail, plus I've added the effect of sunlight on the water.  I wanted to keep the first couple of canvases small to start.  I like the way this one turned out: 

 

"Sunlit Water, Blue & Green  10x8"

 

 

I think they would both look great in larger sizes, such as a 24-inch, 30-inch or 36-inch square.  I've also completed a larger one that I'll blog about in a couple of days.  To find out more about these two paintings, click on the titles under the images.

 

If you'd like information and pricing regarding custom sizes and colors, please email me or call 760-966-1295.  This style of painting is perfect for any room in a coastal or beach house decorating scheme, or any space where rest and relaxation is desired.

 

To stay current with my latest work and art activities, become a member of my email newsletter.  I send it out approximately once a month or less, and will never share your information with anyone.

 

Is your home a refuge and retreat where you can relax and reenergize?  When you walk through the door, does the stress of the day melt away?  Or if not, is there a special room in your home where you can escape from the pressures of daily life - a space that has soothing colors, soft lines, comforting furnishings and peaceful artwork?

As a former interior designer, I have been interested in the psychological and healing possibilities of the built environment for many years.  It is my main motivator for painting coastal, tropical and water images, beside the fact that I've had a love affair with the ocean all my life. 

 

• Paintings of water provide you with a serene energy for your home that is soothing, calming and stress-reducing. 
• Hotels and spas around the world focus on water elements to reinforce the rejuvenating, refreshing purpose of a resort.
• Research shows that peaceful paintings of water and landscapes in healthcare facilities promote healing and reduce the length of patient stays.

This month I’ve been adding to my Serenity Collection of coastal water and landscape paintings which are very minimal in design.  Here are three of my new additions in soft, muted colors:

 

 

 

 

"Coastal Calm"    12" x 12"

© 2011 Barbara Blair

 

 

"Distant Shore"   12" x 12"

© 2011 Barbara Blair

 

 

"Tranquil Coast"   12" x 12"

© 2011 Barbara Blair

 

 

Although these pieces are a smaller 12x12" size, I welcome custom commissions in colors of your choice in larger sizes such as 18", 24", 30" or 36" square.

These images are ideal over a living room sofa, in a dining room, a bedroom, a meditation room, or anywhere in the home where you would like to create a peaceful, soothing retreat for rest and relaxation. 

You will find them on my website here.  They are very reasonably priced.  If you would like pricing on larger sizes, please call me at 760-966-1295 or send me an email. 

 

My next project is to paint larger sizes with these themes, and they will be posted to my website soon, so please check back.

 

 Here are some sobering facts about stress:

• Stress has become an epidemic in our society, and many people have accepted it as part of their daily lives without realizing the toll it takes on our health and well-being.
• Stress is responsible for 90% of health problems.  Almost every major illness has been linked to chronic stress.
• Stress is a flight or fight response.  It creates completely different chemicals in your body than joy and love.
• Everyday you lose and have to repair and replace hundreds of billions of cells.  Stress hormones shut down the immune system, and inhibit growth of the body so that the body breaks down, ages and gets diseases.
•  Stress is the #1 cause of depression, and one in 15 Americans are depressed.
• 40 million people in the U.S., or 1 in 7, are under some kind of anxiety or stress that is draining them.

 

While creating your home as a supportive retreat is a start, here are more suggestions to help you reduce stress: 

• Identify the people or circumstances that cause you stress, and learn to manage or avoid them.
• Reduce the amount of television watching, and banish noisy video games to a secondary room of the house.
• Listen to peaceful music combined with soothing sounds of nature.
• Learn to say “no” when asked to do things that you don’t want to do.
• Laugh more.  Laughter heals.
• Practice a meditation technique every day.  Transcendental Meditation (TM) is excellent.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get enough sleep
• Eat a healthy nutritious diet.
• Forgive yourself and others.
• Start a daily “Gratitude” list.   
• Be aware of your negative thoughts and emotions and focus on the positive instead.  As you release negative emotions you open the way to experience more joy and peace of mind.