Imagination is a beautiful thing.

(My imagination!)

The other night I was reading Lucy a book she had borrowed from the school library, 'Good Night Fairies' by Kathleen Hague.

The words and illustrations were beautiful and thought provoking, and as I caught her smiling out of the corner of my eye, I thought of my own childhood, the dreams, the wonderment.

When I paint, particularly more recently as my style has evolved, I use my imagination a lot. I try and downplay adult reason (only when I'm painting!) and embrace the playful imagination of a child. 

Lately I have been enjoying painting whimsical maps of life's journey, both mine and others.

I have just finished a commission for a lovely young couple and when I asked them to give me some motifs, ideas, even details about themselves without giving away their whole story, one thing they said was 'a red boat'.

As I painted this canvas these past few weeks so many stories and events have evolved in my head around everything they said, but particularly the little red boat: what it signifies, where it now rests, what it is called, how big it really is, is it a ship? a tug boat? a bath toy? who it belongs to, who fell out of it? did he propose to her in a red boat? is it a family heirloom? who knows....but I do know that my imagination ran wild.

Imagination actualises what reality can't provide, and without it life would be very boring don't you think?

With Love,

Liv xo