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Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Live in the Now....Vacation Creativity

 

'Treasures by the Sea' Ink on Bristol paper. Karen Margulis

We are practicing mindfulness. I am on vacation this week with my family. We rented a beach house and we have no agenda other than to relax and enjoy being together. It is a wonderful way for us to visit our grown children and grandbaby.

 

We all had ideas for what we should do or not do while on vacation. One thing was to limit technology. We planned to swim, walk the beach, watch the sunset, do puzzles. Eat, drink, laugh, sleep and love.....the five true pleasures of life. I had another idea for us. Coloring books!

 

You may be aware of the current interest in adult coloring books. At first I scoffed at the idea of coloring. Wouldn't it be too restricted? Don't we as artists resist coloring in the lines? But the I saw these books for the first time in Sweden. They were special. Then I read an article in the SAS in flight magazine about coloring and destressing. I bought a coloring book.

 

I liked the idea that coloring in a beautiful book could be a good wast to relax. Research shows that coloring is found to generate wellness and quietness in the brain while stimulating creativity. It would be a perfect downtime activity for our time at the beach. (And I bought coloring books in Finland and France)

We loved them! So much so that our puzzle has been deserted. Replaced now by coloring books, markers and colored pencils. I even decided to make my own coloring page design. I decided to d a beach treasure theme. ( see the top photo) What a fun way to relax and be creative at the same time!

 

 

3 comments:

robertsloan2art said...

What a great idea! I love Coloring, still have all my Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. Got started with those when I was sixteen and still have all the colors. Even discontinued colors. They are so much fun!

Looks like your whole family's having a great time with it. Even the baby's looking at it with interest!

frauke said...

Hi Karen! Go on having a good time with your family!
Wonderful! Colouring books are lovely, colouring them even more. :-) Your treasure-page with the heron is marvellous too. That's what I am doing, when I say I do Kritzelart (frauke koenig on pinterest), just sit down, paint flowers (or anything that comes to my mind) and colour them later or immediately, how I like it. It is a peaceful, meditating work and keeps the hand fit... :-)
I love your blog! Thanks for showing so many excellent and beautiful paintings and let me learn a lot!
With kind regards!
Frauke

Shahar said...

Karen, I love your doodle art page! It reveals how intricately you observe the world around you and how skillfully you can convey those images through your personal artistic voice. You are so very creative, and I appreciate you sharing your work. I think you have such amazing talent, and though I love your pastels it appears they are only a small glimpse of your artistic abilities. It appears you possess many creative facets I have yet to experience.