Its Sunday. Bright and pure the day dawns.
A crisp morning with fresh, clean colors. Clarity.

Sunday Morning
A new day dawns. Hope arises. Hope shines.
Its Sunday. Let the week begin.
Acrylic Painting: Beginnings
It started off OK. You can see its beginning at debi.riley Instagram.
But then the painting needed to be put down, to ‘rest awhile.’ Just until I could think…. think through the challenges it presented.
Just until I could see it with clarity.
I often need Time. To reflect.
Even with an acrylic I choose to persist with a painting over a long period of time if needed.
If I don’t feel its resolved, I choose to pause. and wait.
Until the right action presents itself. (Lao Tzu)
Nothing is Beyond Repair
Experience shows that my efforts aren’t “ruined!”
Nor irreparably broken, unless I rip it up. Unless I throw it in the trash. So I keep going with it.
I keep thinking of ways to go around the problem.
To go through the problem. Of how I can achieve an outcome that resonates with me and leaves me feeling Satisfied.
Yes, somedays it can feel like climbing a mountain. It can be a challenge to remain hopeful, to remain persistent, to remain diligent, to remain convinced that it can be done.
The 2 words that see me through:
I WILL.
With over 30 years of painting it has been a very rare few, that I couldn’t adequately resolve. In due time.
What have I done to this painting?
This image has been cropped, double matted, plus I added textures and colors – now, I’m feeling its more unified. It has more peace to it. I like it much better now. It has a feeling of ‘finished’ to it.
Step by Step, the Painting Process
- I painted the canvas white. Fairly randomly, with texture. I didn’t want a perfectly smooth surface.
2. The flowers with lemon yellow and lime accents were painted next. Followed by the magenta red that has ‘drips.’
3. Next the blue lavender flower and some stems. I left the smudges, there. Wabi Sabi, is just fine with me.
4. The magenta needed something; so with a dry brush approach I dragged the blue over the red. Creating a lovely feeling of depth and texture on the left side.
5. I cropped the image into a tight square. Deleting clutter, unneeded shapes. A bit ruthlessly, but it made for a much better design this way.
6. Last, were the two matts. White on the inside, which assists the viewers’ eyes in. And, strangely for me, a pale green exterior matt.
This pale green, actually complemented the design.
It helps with creating a sense of Freshness.
Clean. Bright. Its Sunday morning – clarity and hope.
People often don’t speak of the struggles with art making and I think that is such a shame because we need to realize that from the depths of creating, there is a struggle within. It might feel uncomfortable or even “bad” but if one embraces it….or pause as you mention in this post, that struggle is part of advancing up that creative mountain. It is difficult at times but always there is hope, I believe. You are getting your zen moving lately with these posts! Your painting with simplicity in color and texture has a volume that says so much more than detail could, imho. It says “there”…..beauty is as beauty is….what a mystery!
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Margaret, you’re right…its not so often the “Negatives, ie the Struggles” are spoken of. But, they exist. Many Beginners QUIT unless they’re coached through these struggles. I’m always saddened when someone quits art because of this.
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Exactly! and those struggles never stop, but it is up to us how to weather through it. I prefer to re-frame it and use it to my advantage. It doesn’t always work but it pushes me further to find out how, there comes in that hope 🙂
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hope. lovely word! 🙂
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Pure, clean and an air of stillness…
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yes, you picked up on the stillness! nice quiet morning. delightful. LOL Thank you, for visiting, and for taking the time to comment. I appreciate that. 🙂 cheers, Debi
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Debi I think your painting is lovely. Beautiful color choices and it reflects that feeling of a calm and still morning.
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thank you Susan! I’m glad you enjoyed this, and felt the stillness and quiet beauty in it 🙂 cheers, Debi
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No one would ever know it wasn’t perfect from the beginning!
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You are so Kind!! thank you Annali…. many of my paintings go this same way. They get resolved, sooner. Or later.
Most efforts, are not ‘just fine’, right off the bat. But need polishing. Fine tuning. smoothing the rough edges. Turning their waywardness into unity. Now. I’m smiling! (thinking… this, is alot like how Life IS! lol)
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As I read this I was thinking how much your painting is like my writing!
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how Lovely! 🙂
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I enjoy the colors and the way you cropped this – I can imagine this as a pattern too. Good to read about your process and how you resolved things to create your vision.
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hi Cynthia, thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed this 🙂 I’d been debating on this one, whether to put it into one of the shops…. or not. Thanks, I might ‘test’ it and see how it looks.
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Good idea!
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Not only is it Sunday but this is Sunday Best. Love everything about this piece: its palette, its abstraction, its spaces, its movement, its joy – you’ve made my day 🙂
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you’ve started my Monday off just peachy Andrew, Thank You for sharing your thoughts! I’m happy that this re-worked image passed along some Joy to you today. Cheers, Debi
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“I will” is a motto which keeps me going, makes me not to give up! Thank you Debi this made my day even if is not Sunday today!
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yes, Eva. I can only …imagine. at how strong Your “Will” has been and is. you are very inspiring you know 🙂
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Oh Debi, thank you for your encouraging words…it means a lot to me!
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my pleasure Eva; whilst you were away … I really did miss you 🙂 you are a lovely person
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Oh, you’re most kind my dear friend! You’re lovely as well and you always inspire me not to give up my art, to keep going and be strong…so Thank you for all your support, encouragement and all that good ZEN you keep giving! Much love and hugs!
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it is my pleasure, Eva 🙂
and, if I can and have influenced you to keep going with your one of a kind art…. well, smiling!!
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Art is such that it needs to be deliberated upon. Attach-detatch. Only to finally be one with it. To melt in its embrace. Art needs a little pampering too lol. It needs complete attention. However, taking a breather is a good idea. That time gap allows introspect.
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