An adventure indeed!

One of my oldest friends who I’m still in touch with – sporadically as we live continents apart, shared something on social media, which I commented on and which led to an interesting “conversation”. I have kept the substance of what we said but changed details for obvious reasons. “Casey” is an artist:

Casey: I’ve worked hard on this one – after my sixth go at it I have a final version. I’m not at all happy with it – I’m going to have to start again, with another one.
Livia: Why weren’t you happy with this, Casey? I think the colours are beautiful and the face looks in proportion to me.

Casey: I used pan pastels, and they didn’t seem to ‘blend’ well, so the skin colouring looks patchy to me. As with all mediums, it takes a lot of practice to be able to control them and use them for the specific effects you want. The other ordinary pastels I used, mostly for the hair, saved the portrait.
Livia: Interesting to read your explanation, Casey.
Casey: Thanks Livia. I always think of painting as a ‘process’ – which is probably the case in any type of creativity – and obviously your writing!!
Livia: Yes – and there are those changes from the original concept which happen as new thoughts occur or characters develop a different personality (which can be very annoying of them!) I’m sure it’s the same for you that things emerge on your canvas as you paint that were never in your original concept! It’s all part of the creation!
Casey: yes Livia!!! It certainly is an ‘adventure’!
Livia: yes! An adventure indeed!

An example of this as a writer, was in my novel “The Stalking of Rosa Czekov”. A character who was only there to make up the numbers at a dinner party, became a major player and a significant person in the plot,, and the background story. Ditto in my Radwinter books, a young woman who was the “office junior” became pivotal in the first novel and a leading character in all the others. I’ve added links to both these books on Amazon, they are available as paperback and e-reads:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/STALKING-ROSA-CZEKOV-Lois-Elsden-ebook/dp/B008D29O5Y

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radwinter-LOIS-ELSDEN/dp/B08KTRNZ8Z

My featured image is by my favourite artist, the masterful Joseph Wright of Derby – it tells a story, but doesn’t it inspire many others? The faces, the expressions, the characters and their imagined identities and back history!