Sometimes I paint from what is in my head, sometimes I paint from what is right in front of me, sometimes a combination of both.
Then there are times when I kind of know what I want – a shape or a colour or a pattern. That’s when I turn to my visual diaries. I have photos, newspaper cuttings, pictures out of magazines, off the internet, from all kinds of places. I look through them and often the answer is right there, tucked away “just in case”.
Over the Christmas break I went out into our gardens with my digital camera and took heaps of photos, looking at colour, texture, pattern, shadow…
Here’s one of the photos that will get glued into the first of this year’s visual diaries. This is a silver dollar gum tree. I love the colours. Pretty huh?
Cath Sheard 
Good Morning,
That silver dollar gum tree is so beautiful and inspirational as well. Now I’m here because you paid me the nicest visit and so I followed you home. Just to see where you live and now I must go and visit all your pages. Thank you.
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What a beautiful piece of nature! What a wonderful thing to have a visual diary. Mine is a jumble, mostly stacked little bits of things here and there. You’ve inspired me to do better this year!
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Your blog is quiet beautiful. I love your idea for a visual journal. I started one this year for color alone, but like your combined approach. I LOVE the “helping paws” picture too.
Your abstract acrylic is lovely.
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