Hard to believe it, but we’re in our last week in the Charleston area. Our friends Tom and Lexi have joined us for a bit . . .

. . . so of course, as David and I were planning what to do, I wanted everything to be perfect. I studied the tide tables and noticed that a super low tide would happen late Friday afternoon, right after they got here, so we decided we’d all go out to the beach and find amazing shells in the tide pools, and then we’d . . . and then we’d . . . . Except my directions were not 100% clear, so they found themselves on a bit of a detour before they made it here and arrived a bit later than expected. AND it was raining. AND they’d been in the car ALL day. So no super-low-tide beach walk (at least not until the next day).

Okay, I know. Some details are completely out of our control, but you’ve got to admit, sometimes attention to detail pays off . . . .

. . . even in this quirky seafood restaurant we found on the way back from checking out Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. Those are actual aquariums in the portholes. How great is that?

Except here’s the thing. Sometimes you can make yourself crazy–or at least really stressed out–trying to get all the details perfect. I showed you an earlier stage of my watercolor portrait attempt last post, and when we took Tom and Lexi to the Coleman Fine Art gallery, I got talking to Smith Coleman (Mary Whyte’s husband) about how her paintings and her books had inspired me to attempt to paint a portrait. Since on the back of my camera the photo of it was only about 1″ x 5/8″ I decided it was safe to show it to him. He was kind, certainly, but commented that the color value was too much the same and I needed more contrasting lights and darks. I worked a bit more on it, and in some ways it’s better, I think. But it’s really hard to stop messing with it, and with watercolor you really do have to stop before you turn the whole thing to mud. Okay. Backing away now.

I’ve decided to celebrate the fact that I painted it at all, considering how afraid I was even a month ago to paint anything. Now I can think about starting something new.

Guess I’d better leave perfection to God and beautiful nature. I love the detail of the colors and patterns on these shells . . .

Everything made by human hands looks terrible under magnification–crude, rough, and asymmetrical. But in nature every bit of life is lovely. And the more magnification we use, the more details are brought out, perfectly formed, like endless sets of boxes within boxes. ∼Roman Vishniac (1897-1990) — Photographer

Maybe a bit of a sweeping generalization, but certainly true when comparing much of human endeavor versus, say, flowers or shells or even snowflakes.

Here’s wishing you eyes to see and time to enjoy the beauty in the details!

After spending several cold days in Colorado, we’re back in South Carolina, near Folly Beach, where we take a walk nearly every day:

← Some days it’s sunny and warmish (or at least compared to what we’re used to in January in Colorado).

Some days, it’s windy and colder than it looks. ↓

Either way, though, this place — or maybe this journey as a whole — continues to spark creativity in me. No worries. I’m not quitting my day job, but I am having fun.

For example, while Chelsea was here, we visited the downtown market and found clear glass Christmas ornaments with sand and tiny shells inside. We both liked them, but I would have preferred them without the touristy painted palm tree and “Charleston, SC” on them, so I decided to make my own with shells we’ve found. I think I’m going to tie raffia on top, but here they are so far.  Kind of fun and beachy, non? →

Also, I continue to be both awed and inspired by the work of Mary Whyte. Do check out her website www.marywhyte.com, if you haven’t already. She does absolutely stunning work that I had thought was only possible with oils. I’ve read two of her books in the past few weeks, and a couple of days ago decided to try painting a portrait in watercolor.

I chose to paint from this photo, which you already saw in the post Lake Life, because I liked the whole blue and gold thing going on, and especially the play of light on his hair and his sleeve, which, okay, I haven’t completely succeeded in capturing, but oh, well. Now I’m going to blather on until I’ve written enough that the picture of the painting is FAR, FAR AWAY from the photo, so you’ll have more trouble comparing the two. Blah, blah, blah . . . . blah, blah, blah . . . . And here’s a tip: Don’t think “painting of photo” think “inspired by photo” and it looks better.

As it turns out, though, it must be semi-recognizable, because David had gone to bed while I was painting and woke up to discover, “after all his sacrifices making this journey happen” . . . blah, blah, blah . . . , I had chosen to paint a portrait of his brother rather than him! He’s been pretending to complain ever since. (We know he’s kidding.) Doug, on the other hand, credits the Muses with great wisdom.

So, now, remove your glasses and back far away from your computer or cell phone or whatever device you’re using to read this post. (Trust me, it looks much better slightly blurry.) Here finally, as promised way back in France, one of my watercolors, which  happens to be my very first watercolor portrait ever–well, since kindergarten, anyway–so be kind!

Ta-da! Was that thrilling or what?

Okay, I’ll be serious now. For me, once Christmas is over, winter can be just plain hard and rather tedious, waiting for signs of spring and rejuvenation. Although it’s a little easier here, where it’s not generally cold and grey, maybe it is dreary where you are. If so, I wish for you inspiration and creativity to bring light and life and fun to those short mid-winter days. If, on the other hand, you love winter, please tell me what you love about it. I’ve made some progress this year with appreciating wind and even enjoying rainy days, so anything’s possible!

A few more thoughts on creativity:

Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks.   ∼ Yo-Yo Ma

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. ∼ Sophia Loren