The Creative Life - Barbara Trovillo

We are here at Folly Beach for two weeks. The house backs up to the marsh and is a short walk to the beach. It is our idea of heaven. We have not left the beach. My days have been spent on the beach walking, swimming, sitting, reading, and watching. I have taken lots of pictures.    It is my favorite place to be. Even so, around day 3, I began to feel the itch to paint. I brought my oils with me but there is not enough solitude or space here to work effectively. Fortunately, the day before we left a friend [...]

Peaches in Bloom     I am currently possessed by an obsession.     Each year, I visit the orchard near me and make a painting of the trees when the blossoms have opened. The area in which this orchard is located is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. It is truly one of the most beautiful places you will ever see! The trees are so gracefully formed, their branches elegantly posed. There is an elusive beauty that I continue to try to capture.                                                [...]

  Do you "feel heard"? To be heard is one of the most basic of human needs. What does it mean, "to be heard"? It means to feel like someone sees you, really sees you, Understands who you really are and what is important to you.   Many of us who grew up in homes where "children were to be seen and not heard" had a tough go of it in the "being heard" department. If we are fortunate, there is a teacher or a neighbor or a grandparent who takes the time to listen and encourage us in the formation of our self concept. [...]

Painting seems to be my obsession. I feel some resentment at all the other things in life that take me away from my studio. This obsession constantly judges all other calls on my time and energy. (Sue Cowan)   We're not here painting because we want to be. We're here because we have to be! (George De Groat)   This year has gotten off to a Great Start! I am back to my regular schedule of painting every day.    It may not make much sense to everyone but Painting is not a choice for me. It is an Obsession and a Compulsion. Fortunately, it is not illegal [...]