I always wanted to create art but, like many artists, I was discouraged from my childish attempts. I was not the artist in the family. I didn’t learn until much later, that I could acquire art skills, continue to practice these skills over and over, (while making some truly awful stuff,) and then gradually improve.
I had a serious burn to learn how to paint, so, many years later, while working as an OR nurse, I took a couple of university art courses. At the end of both of them, I was still no further ahead, having been told not to quit my day job as I had no talent. But I learned a valuable lesson there—you can be a wonderful painter but not such a great teacher.
A normal person might have decided to take what that teacher said, and try another outlet or path for my creativity, but I had a ferocious, almost visceral need to paint. That, combined with a seriously stubborn streak, made this need impossible to ignore.
Desperate to learn to paint, I vowed to try one more time and was fortunate to meet an amazing teacher who became my mentor and friend. She encouraged me, urged me on and repeated over and over that I was not unteachable— simply lacking knowledge.
That was such a revelation as I’d always assumed that ‘real’ artists were just born to it. She promised me that if I kept at it, within a year I’d be painting on my own. How could I resist that? I signed up, deciding to give my self one last kick at the can.
To show you what she had to work with— I didn’t know that mixing blue and yellow would produce green. Or that mixing red and yellow would always produce orange. Imagine being able to create new colours! Magical and heady stuff, that. Discovering such a simple reality was life altering.
After weeks of this gentle guidance, kind white lies (“I think an angel is guiding your hand”), she helped me to kick my negative self-talk to the curb, allowing room for more kindness, compassion and a positive mindset to integrate my heart and mind.
Learning to trust that this beautiful woman would never criticize me, no matter what, allowed me to finally relax into my art. And this was crucial for my artistic development. Within months I was painting the florals I had always dreamed of painting. I will never be able to thank her enough for this soft and gentle entree into the world of creating art.
When I retired from nursing at 50, I took up painting. It was a bold move for me, but I leap into this new world of luscious paint, colour, and texture, embracing it with my heart and soul. I love every second of it and have not
looked back.
Now, as a mixed media/acrylic abstract artist, I dive deeply into colour, texture and design, as I celebrate and interpret life, love and nature.
I’m blessed, not only with the time and energy to paint, to play and lose myself in the beauty and serenity of art, but to have this remarkable outlet as a sort of fantastical therapy, painting my way through life. Quite a bonus during the pesky pandemic.
Painting is a time of deep contemplation and, quite frankly, a kindness to myself. By following my instincts and pushing my artistic boundaries, I lose myself in a delicious, timeless and mindless state. I feel most ‘myself ‘ and ‘at home’ when I create.
The artistic road is not without serious challenges, but, at the end of the day, creating an original piece of art from my heart, is both powerful and highly rewarding. And then, to bring joy, pleasure or excitement to the viewer, is pure delight.
C. Lynn O’Brien
IG: lynnalingtonobrien