I have written professionally since the 1980’s. During that time I’ve taken many writing courses. There’s always something new to learn.
One new thing I learned, beginning last year, 2022, was how to paint on canvas.
I made a new friend that year who is an artist. I enjoyed sitting outside with him listening to the birds chirp and seeing the blue sky . . . feeling the soft summer breeze blowing . . . having small conversations about his craft. . .
One day I said I’d like to try painting. I didn’t know if I’d be any good at it . . . He got a canvas he had sketched a picture on and asked me what color I’d like to begin with? He said to paint the sketch he’d done. He gave me a brush and glanced from time to time and always said encouraging, kind comments. I enjoyed the painting. It is like nothing else! It takes me away and I found I loved it.
He said he could tell by the way I held the brush that it wasn’t the first time I’d ever painted. All I could remember painting was walls in my home . . .
I asked my children if I’d ever mentioned to them about painting a picture? They all said YES! They said I’d told them about a man on TV that had a show teaching painting when I was five or six years old, and how I’d gotten one of his painting sets for Christmas back then, and had spent mornings painting with him. I sort of remembered his name and googled what I thought it was. I found him! It was Jon Gnagy and I recognized his picture when it popped up beside his name. How many very, very fun mornings I had trying to imitate and learn what he was teaching on TV! THAT’S where I’d learned to hold a paint brush and use one! Isn’t it funny how things learned so many decades ago can now help me?
So I told my friend about Jon Gnagy and he just nodded. I finished that painting and framed it and my friend took me to an art and craft store to buy more canvases.
I’ve painted various paintings since and most are on the walls of my home. I was thrilled last month when my oldest visited for Thanksgiving (and her birthday) and said yes, she’d like to have my painting of Wind in the Sunflowers for one of her birthday presents. She had said she loved the dynamics in it when I showed it to her.
What has all this got to do with writing?
In 2015 I wrote a children’s book about a bully bird. It was based on an actual event I viewed at my bird feeder. It needed illustrations. (I worked as a Reading Teacher for years and illustrations help children decode unknown words.) I could not find anyone willing to illustrate the book. So now, guess who’s doing it!
I have the first three pages sketched out and one of them painted. The other two are partially painted.
This morning I copied the sentences for each page from the written story. I had bought canvas boards to use for the illustrations. I taped each page’s sentence to the back of the canvas board. I need two more boards, but I’m sure I have plenty of time before I really need them. The painting takes time and I just hope to have this finished by the spring. There are twelve pages in the book. I need twelve paintings and something to illustrate the cover.
I self-publish on Amazon. I have a few books already published, but plan to edit most of them. The one I am satisfied with is the first one. It’s called Bow Wow! Meow! and is a short book of my poems about pets and wildlife. Some have been published in magazines. I keep the rights to my work and it reverts to me after a magazine’s publication. I believe it’s called North American First Serial Rights? It’s been a long time since I typed up and sent off manuscripts and entered that info.
The cover of the pet poetry book has my oldest, Jordan, as a baby, and our (at that time) dog, Atlas. There is at least one poem that was published about Atlas in the book. I listed the publications and which poems were published where in the back of the book.
I am at the end of my lifetime. I have retired and now have time to write and paint and explore this writing gift (talent?) I think I have. I’m delighted to have discovered I also have – however well I do it – a talent for painting.
As a writer, you really don’t know what in your life will provide inspiration . . . become your muse . . . move your writing career forward. Keep learning every day. Keep writing, and if so inclined, try your hand at sketching / and or painting. You never know what you can do, until you try.
Bow Wow! Meow!: Poems about Pets Stories – Cats Dogs and Others
Above is how my poetry book about pets and wildlife is listed on Amazon.com
Constance As A Writer 