The passionate bear is back!

After being married/in a live in relationship with someone for the past 10 years somehow my love of creating art was smouldered.

Hard to say whether I lost my interest in art because I was more interested in doing other hobbies such as shopping, hiking, drinking wine, biking, going out dancing, playing tennis, travelling the world, wake surfing or drinking on a boat until the sun rose; or if my energies for creating were stifled by living with a neurotic OCD person who could not handle having paint, clay, glue or anything other than Urban Barn inside the house.

Either way the creation of art was absent in my life for quite some time.

I did attend university to study fine arts so it seems a bit abnormal for me to change so much that I no longer required that process of creativity in my life.

Sure I found other ways to be creative, fashion, make-up, and throwing elaborate theme parties (no party should ever be had without a theme) but it just isn't quite the same.

Why isn't it the same?

Well I guess because you don't have a keepsake after, with everything listed above you create and then it all is torn down, almost right away. All the energy and thought you put into creating only last 24 hours or less. Sure you may have a photo or a selfie to capture what you have created but all other evidence is washed away.

I recently felt the urge to make something, to create and I decided to follow through with it.

Now I have been out of practice for 10 years like I said but I think the final project ended up being pretty adorable.

I wanted to showcase not just the final image but the process in which the image came to be. Below are snap shots of how my bear painting came to be...

Phase 1
Choose the shape and the placement on my canvas.

Phase 2
Get some colour flowing and a bit more structure to his face.

Phase 3
Adding a bit more detail, finding his actual shape... I didn't want him to take up the whole page!

Phase 4
Detailing with texture and shadowing to show off his furry coat and handsome jawline.

Phase 5
Add in the background and a few more highlights to his fur and I'm finished!

Now what to call him and where to hang him?

It's basic, but this bear represents the door to a pathway unknown. It felt great to sit down, and take the time to create something that I can see and keep. Who knows maybe I will do a series of forest animals and give it to my friend for her baby room. On the contrary maybe I will never paint a bear or an animal again, it all depends on what I feel inspired by at the time.

Feels like I'm coming back to life one passion at a time.

Follow me @kylaki if you want to hear more about my post marriage reconnection with myself or if you want to see what else I'm up to in Canada and around the world!

As always comments appreciated ❤️