Since October, I’ve been working on a monthly process, painting a large canvas, then covering it over to begin again. It’s intentional. Each layer represents a feeling or experience, painted over by the next, like life, where so much sits beneath the surface. Some months I returned the canvas to white; others I worked straightContinue reading “Six Layers (and Knowing When to Stop)”
Author Archives: Ailsa
Falmouth: Wind, Water, and Space to Think
In March, I took myself off to Falmouth for a week. I’d never been before, and it felt somehow much further away than it really is. I went by train, which slowed everything down in a good way. No rushing, no driving, just watching the amazing landscape change. Falmouth itself felt full of contrast, wideContinue reading “Falmouth: Wind, Water, and Space to Think”
If life gives you lemons, at least there’s a name for it
Since my cataract operation in December, I’ve been living with what I can only describe as optical chaos. One eye is crystal clear. The other isn’t. If I’m wearing reading glasses, I can’t see anything more than two feet away. Without them, I can see into the distance beautifully, but not my phone, my plate,Continue reading “If life gives you lemons, at least there’s a name for it”
Finding connection
Last week’s word was connection: from the Latin connectere, meaning “to bind together.” It began as something physical: tying, linking, fastening, and has grown to describe everything from relationships to any place two things touch. I’ve been playing with acrylic and watercolour inks this week, wetting the paper and dropping inks and letting them findContinue reading “Finding connection”
Roots!
This week’s word is roots, quiet, steadfast things that hold life together. You rarely see them, yet they do all the work, anchoring, feeding, connecting. The word itself is ancient, from Old English rōt and Latin radix, which also gives us radical — literally “to go to the root.” I love that: to be radicalContinue reading “Roots!”
Standing on the threshold……
This week’s word is liminality, from the Latin limen, meaning threshold. It describes the space between what was and what’s next: the moment of suspension before transformation takes hold. Doorways, bridges, shorelines at low tide. They sit between states, quietly holding their breath. Portals. It feels especially relevant now. The year itself stands on aContinue reading “Standing on the threshold……”
My creative hug for October (and a peek at my big project)
October’s been full of small experiments that have made me get excited about my art again. My Creative Hug project, a loose structure built around a “word of the week” and a larger project, has given me that nudge I’ve needed. Each word sparks fresh activities, readings, or just little shifts in how I seeContinue reading “My creative hug for October (and a peek at my big project)”
Serendipity and the Art of Letting Go
This week’s word is serendipity – those happy accidents that seem to find you when you’re not looking. The word itself comes from an old Persian tale about three princes who kept stumbling upon discoveries by chance, guided by curiosity and awareness rather than control. In my art, serendipity feels like the moment a dripContinue reading “Serendipity and the Art of Letting Go”
Not everything needs to be understood…..
Not everything needs to be understood. Some things are meant to be felt and experienced. My word of the week has been mystery. Etymology & history of “mystery” From Latin mysterium → from Greek mystērion (plural mystēria) = “a secret rite, a hidden truth known only to the initiated.” Related to mystēs (“one who hasContinue reading “Not everything needs to be understood…..”
My Word of the Week: Curiosity
As part of my Creative Hug, I have a word a week to inspire my art. This week, I’m doing everything with curiosity – in my drawings, my walks, daily life. I have enjoyed learning the etymology of “curiosity”. Historically, curious took quite a journey. In medieval times, it was almost an insult – suggestingContinue reading “My Word of the Week: Curiosity”
Ailsa Brims Art 