My lovely art pal Flora Bowley's new book Brave Intuitive Painting is gorgeous! We caught up in person a few months ago during one of her teaching stops in Berkeley. We shared great conversation, talking art and travel stories over a yummy Mexican dinner with Mati Rose at Dona Thomas. The night we had dinner, Flora had just received her author copy...super exciting! Recently, I've spent time reading her new book and thought I'd share a little about it.
With my cup of tea in hand, I've been enjoying Flora's inspiring book whenever I have a few minutes to read and relax. It's full of colorful inspiration and interesting ways to combine painting, self-discovery and movement. Her creative artful spirit dances across the page as she encourages you to tell your story and let it unfold without question. One of my favorite parts of the book are her creative prompts. I love that she teaches using prompts because this leads the reader to discover their own unique style and explore mark-making in an intuitive way.
"Let go. be bold. unfold." as the subtitle states is what the book and Flora's art is all about. Her message, to be FREE...it's similar to how I encourage my students to enjoy the process and PLAY. She uses simple tools to create beautiful paintings. This book is packed with colorful inspiration and creative prompts that get you to make marks. It encourages the reader to fully dive into developing a unique painting style while sharing pages of vibrant samples of Flora's artwork. There is a section that gives you an overview on color and color combinations. There are ideas to connect with your inspiring life and how to incorporate your world into your art. A fantastic book if you are open to exploring without exact step-by-step instructions...which I think is GREAT! If you are wanting to develop your style, then this book is for you. Her encouraging prompts not only translate to the canvas but flow into ways you can creatively live your life.
We both have a similar approach to how we paint…very free…bold...and open to let things unfold organically. She's a kindred spirit. It's a gorgeous book, I highly recommend it...go paint, be brave and have fun doodling!
Let go. be bold. unfold..xoxo..~treiC
