I Was Awake The Whole Time

 Watercolour on Paper. 

There is a long story behind this painting, but I was heavily inspired by the artist Rebecca Cool. I feel as though she had given me permission to explore my love of colour, using a flat, graphic style that I have been using since I was in High School. I never thought that it was "serious" or "technical" enough to be considered "proper" art; but I made little paintings, and  patterns, and coloured them in anyway, because it gave me joy.

It has been an awakening to realise that I was making Art the whole time. Unconsciously, and despite my preconceived ideas of what "Art" was (my sculptures are "serious", my teacups and bowls aren't....), I was drawing, colouring, knitting, felting, painting, throwing, hammering.... I was Awake the whole time. I just wasn't aware that I was awake. Alan Watts would have a field day with me !

“Try to imagine what it will be like to go to sleep and never wake up... now try to imagine what it was like to wake up having never gone to sleep.”