Art on Instagram

Lately I have been having lots of fun displaying some of my art on Instagram. I find it is seen by a lot of different people. Whenever I upload a painting, people show their appreciation more so than for other subjects. Interesting. 

This tells me that people appreciate art.

Watercolour Rose

I guess that somewhere in their inner self they appreciate the creative skill.

A collection of watercolour paintings

The next step to show the artist your appreciation is to purchase paintings that you like. This helps the artist enormously by showing them they are appreciated in a physical way. It allows them to buy more art materials and create something else. 

Instagram
Instagram is a great way to see a lot of an artists creative pieces. 
Please check out more of my paintings @tossyv

Colour
Colour speaks to the soul. Colour and the subject matter of a painting speaks to individuals. People's like and dislikes are specific. This is why a painting can speak to one person and have no effect on another. 

Using Instagram can help you decide which colours and subject matter you prefer. It is an interesting exercise to g
flick through an artist's paintings, then those of another until you find the style that suits you.   

Vintage Renault car

 Art by Therese Vahland.

Start Painting Folk Art

Do you long to paint but think you can't? I understand the feeling because once that was me too. Now I delight in having a paintbrush in my hand.

All my life I had been crafty, doing lots of knitting, sewing and crocheting, plus lots of other crafts. As a child I loved to paint.  Each Christmas and birthday I hoped for a new set of paints. 

Time passes. I spent it having children, doing gardening, and raising lots of animals like goats, donkeys, sheep and smaller livestock like rabbits, chickens, ducks and geese.

When the time was right I took my first 'grown-up' painting class. The style I opted for was just making its first tippy-toe steps into Australia in 1989. Well, the first class came and went and I eagerly looked forward to the next week, then the next. I had withdrawal symptoms when I was not there and wanted to learn more and more.

By the next year I was teaching this new, simple way of painting to a class of eager students in a smaller country town. They were just as eager as I was. 

My life was changed by 

a paintbrush and paint. 

I discovered a love of colour. Colour meant nothing to my mother. She always said it didn't matter. She grew up in a different era where there was no room to be choosey. To me, colour was and still is, VERY important. 

For years I taught many classes a week to eager students who stimulated me to learn more. I longed to write a book to help others learn to paint - people who could not get to my classes. Eventually it became a reality.

'Getting started in Bavarian Folk Art' by Therese Vahland

A second book followed.

'Companion to Getting started in Bavarian Folk Art' by Therese Vahland

Painting, paint and all its paraphernalia took over my life. Over the years my painting style improved and changed. I began to experiment. First I used acrylic paints as watercolours, then I used watercolour paints themselves. Well, all my dreams came true when I used watercolour paints. Here was colour that dould be reworked - just add a little water. Acrylics give vivid colour and dry quickly, but once they are dry, they cannot be reworked. There are benefits to both types of paints. Now I move between the two as the mood takes me and depending on what the subject matter is. 

Come join me in my love of painting the simple style of folk art. The beauty of folk art is that you are guided through every step along the way. It is perfect for beginners. You do not need to know how to draw or paint to begin this. My books walk you through every step of the way.

You can find more information about the books on my webpage. 

Join me on Istagram to see some of my colourful work. Don't get a shock now. 

Remember, I love colour. 

@tossyv

Perennial Gardening in Australia

The garden is lovely at this time of the year. The weather is warm on the southern coast of Australia. It is a lovely time of the year to be able to get outside. 

Geranium

My new geranium plant is looking magnificent with 15cm head of flowers. Each flower is about 5 cm in diameter. Such a pretty colour. 

Geranium

Rhubarb

The rhubarb is magnificent now in January with gigantic leaves and big, strong, red stems. Leaves are about 40cm long and 30 to 40cm wide. They make great fans in this hot weather. 

You can eat the rhubarb stalks after they are stewed. Remember NEVER to eat the leaves. They are poisonous.

Rhubarb stalks can be cooked and eaten

Fuchsia

We have a large fuchsia with multiple hot pink, dangling ballerina flowers. It is about 2 metres tall. Its stem is about 12cm in diametre. It is nearly 20 years old. It is very hardy and has profuse flowers. 

Tall espalliered fuchsia

 These three plants are perennials which means they grow year round. They are all hardy and drought tolerant which is very important during hot weather in Australia. Please consider these in your garden if you are looking for tough, hardy plants. 

Some varieties of plants and seeds are for sale and can be accessed through my website www.mygardentreasures.com.au
They are only available in parts of Australia. Not available internationally.

Enjoy your garden. It brings lots of peace and happiness.