Summer's Sunflowers

I've always liked to doodle and paint. But let's face it, after becoming a mum, art revolves more around finger painting or Hello Kitty potato stamping.

Seriously, when was the last time I painted something by myself and for myself? I can't remember.

So, when I had the chance to attend a canvas painting session at HeART Studio together with some fellow mum bloggers, you bet I jumped at it.

Held at this place which I have grown to love and appreciate, the studio had two rooms set up for us, all equipped with painting supplies, easel stands and even soothing music to help us settle into the cosy and relaxed ambience.



Besides my fellow blogger friends, I also had a little companion with me for the day while the elder sister was in school. Ok, those big smiles and drools were a little distracting for an art lesson, so I was glad the kind people of HeART Studio offered to kidnap look after her so Mummy could paint in peace.

Our task for the day was to paint our own version of Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch painter whose works are notable for the rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold colours. At first, it sounded impossible for me to paint even a vase and I had absolutely no idea of where to begin.

Thanks to the lively and passionate Teacher Gaz, I learnt about the techniques applied by Van Gogh and slowly gained a little confidence while chanting "Yes, I can do this".

We were given clear guidance of how to go about painting, from outlining to mixing colours as well as using different brush strokes to achieve different textures and looks.

Finally it was my turn to start! First, we had to make use of oil pastels to outline our vase of flowers.

Next, it was time to be creative and imaginative! The great thing about art is that there is no right or wrong, and even the word 'beautiful' can have a thousand meanings.

Although sunflowers are usually perceived as yellow, since it was our very own art piece, we were given the freedom to define and make use of any colour. I love the bright colours of these acrylic paints and how you could mix and match them to create new colours and new tones.

Step by step, I filled up my painting with colours and hoped that it would come to life. It was a stress-free and fun session for me because all Teacher Guz gave was encouragement, praise and a little advice here and there.

Although the session lasted three hours, I could only afford to stay for two hours since I had to pick the elder girl from school. So you could say that it got into a little rush affair at the end and my finishing touches could have been better. Nonetheless, I gave myself a pat on the back for completing it!

Ta-dah!! How do you like my sunflowers? My first fan was little Angel, who took up the canvas as if it was a gem and ran around showing it to the grandparents and the hubby, shouting "See? Mummy drew, mummy drew! Nice!"

Awww. Thank you Angel for being so supportive and to the folks at SMB and HeART Studio for making this event possible, you have my heartfelt thanks too!

Here's wishing SMB a HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY and to more years of friendship, inspiration, laughter and celebration in future!

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