Author Archives: Maria - FlowingWatersArt

About Maria - FlowingWatersArt

I'm a self-taught mixed media artist and have been creating art and a positive atmosphere in my life for as long as I can remember. I live in sunny South Florida, which serves as my inspiration for my use of bright fun colors with a whimsical flair. My goal is to inspire and empower you to find your inner happiness through creativity, as I have in my life. This website includes different tips and techniques that will hopefully inspire your inner muse to create. Welcome and join me on a wonderful journey in creating art!

Thoughtful Thursday Color and Moods

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Have you ever thought about how color affects how you feel? Many people associate colors with different things like trees, the ocean, flowers or even a cool summer’s breeze which evoke positive emotions and make us feel good. But you can also associate colors with negative things because we create these associations in our mind through our personal life experiences.

Our brain reacts to sensory impressions. Visual impressions make up 80% of that. And that’s a pretty big chunk. So it’s no wonder that color can greatly affect our moods. Studies have shown these are some of the generalities of how colors can make you feel:

  • Blue: Calming, Dependable, Peace, Trustworthy, Wisdom
  • Green: Growth, Nature, Contentment, Health, New Beginnings
  • Red: Love, Power, Confidence, Passion, Excitement, Anger, Danger
  • Yellow: Happy, Joy, Spontaneous, Hope, Danger
  • Orange: Kindness, Warmth, Enthusiasm
  • Pink: Romantic, Soft, Playful
  • Purple: Wealth, Glamorous, Mysterious, Creativity
  • Black: Sophisticated, Powerful, Serious, Luxurious, Aggressive
  • White: Fresh, Clean, Pure, Truth, Simplicity
  • Gray: Passive, Low Energy
  • Brown: Earthy, Stability, Support

Pay attention to the colors in your environment and how they make feel, especially the clothes you wear. You may be quite surprised and discover new things about yourself!

Hope you enjoyed this post today, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Color was not given to us in order that we imitate nature. It was given to us so that we can express our emotions.” ~Henri Matisse

    Sunflower Photo taken by Maria Vidaurre

    Whimsical Journaling

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    Journaling is a great way to have fun and unwind from a long week. This was actually a warm up exercise which is part of an online class I’m working on by the very talented Katrina Koltes.

    Art journaling is anything you want it to be. It can be an abstract or a more serious painting or anything in between. You can write your thoughts in your journal and then cover them up or don’t. But the choice is yours. The main goal is to simply do whatever your heart desires and makes you happy😊 So what are your waiting for? Grab your journal and have some fun this weekend!

    Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!

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    “What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence.” ~Claude Monet

    Thoughtful Thursday Wayne Dyer Quote

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    I was listening to a recording of Wayne Dyer today and thought I’d share this wonderful quote with you on one of my abstract watercolor paintings:

    “With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”

    Hope this inspires you in some way.

    Thanks for stopping by!!!

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    Botanicals Handmade Art Journal

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    I recently created a handmade journal in an online workshop hosted by Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios and Ali Manning of the Vintage Page Designs. Lately I’ve been immersing myself in creating botanical designs in the journal.

    I’m trying out different things like using my brushes in new ways, mark making and just having plain old fashioned fun. What I love is that it keeps you in the creative zone even if you only have a small amount of time to spare.

    It’s not about making an elaborate painting or drawing unless that’s what you’re aiming for. But instead I make my marks, don’t always like them and then use my creative imagination to save it 😂 But that’s where the fun is because you never know where it will end up 😊

    Hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and starting playing! Thanks for stopping by!!

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    “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” ~George Bernard Shaw

    Simplest Things Journal

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    Last week I participated in Amy Maricle’s Simplest Things Challenge. On day 5 I created a few simple circles with different designs. I thought they looked pretty cool and wanted to make them much BIGGER! So I did full sized drawings of these two. What do you think?

     I love watching the watercolor paints mingle and mix. You never know what they’re going to do and that’s the fun part 😊

    Hope this inspires you to create this weekend!

    Thanks for stopping by!!!

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    “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” ~Bob Ross quote on creating art

    This was my inspiration for the the 2 paintings above 😊

    Thoughtful Thursday “Act as if it were impossible to fail.”

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    Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS on Pexels.com

    “Act as if it were impossible to fail.” is a quote by Dorothea Brande from her book Wake Up and Live! It’s a simple quote that is so very powerful. When you think about it, what would you do differently if you knew it were impossible to fail? Personally, I can think of lots of things I would have done differently in my life and I’m sure you can to.

    It’s not a far fetched idea, but something that’s pretty basic if we’d only believe. We have a tendency to create so many obstacles in our minds that stop us dead in our tracks from reaching our goals and creating our dream life. But why?

    The reasons can vary drastically from one person to next. But I think the first step is to look at ourselves in the mirror and be accountable for our actions, thoughts and attitudes. Because these are the things that brought us to where we are today.

    The next step which is easier said than done is to dig deeper and look at where some of these beliefs and thoughts started and what started them. Is it something our parents taught us? Or is it a result of something that happened to us? Is it combination of both of these things or something else? But you must be completely honest with yourself if you are to move forward.

    Once we have a better understanding of why we react a certain way to certain situations we stand a better chance of conquering the obstacles we created for ourselves. And as a result we can move on to bigger and better things.

    I hope these words of wisdom by Dorothea Brande inspire you in some way today! Thanks for stopping by!!

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    “All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the formula, the command of right-about-face which turns us from failure towards success.” ~Dorothea Brande

    Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

    Happy Valentine’s Day!

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    “You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” ~Sam Keen

    💖Wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day💖

    💖Always Believe in Love💖

    Thanks for stopping by!!!

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    Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

    The Simplest Things Challenge

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    Amy Maricle @amymaricle at Mindful Art Studio hosted a challenge this week called
    The Simplest Things which I participated in. The idea was to create art everyday, from the simplest things. It was a 5 day challenge which started Monday and ended yesterday.

    Originally I wanted to create a handmade journal for this challenge but it’s been a busy week so I ended up using a 6×6 inch mixed media spiral journal instead. I normally like heavier paper for journaling but the 90 lb mixed media paper worked well for this challenge.

    Day 1 Prompt: Cursive Letter L

    The photo above is for Day 1 and since I’m in mega love mode painting my hearts for the Expressions of Love Collection I couldn’t resist painting a few watercolor hearts that I cut out and glued into the journal.

    Day 2 Prompt: Thread

    Now this one was pretty funny because I started with threads which turned into seaweed which turned into an underwater world 😂 You never know where your imagination will lead you!

    Day 3 Prompt: Leaf

    I painted watercolor leaves which I cut out and glued into the journal. Technically the prompt is leaf, meaning only one but it depends on how you look at it. Plus I was having so much fun playing with my gold pen I had to make some extras.

    Day 4 Prompt: Write then Cover with Watercolor

    I’m not the type to put all my thoughts and feelings onto paper for the everyone to see. So I poured my heart out into the journal with a watercolor pencil and then did a very colorful watercolor wash for the background. Since I did actually pour my heart out into the journal I thought it was only fitting to add the heart inchies I previously made to these two pages.

    Day 5 Prompt: Watercolor Wash and Marks in Pen

    I decided to keep this one simple with painted watercolor circles and patterns using a Sakura Micron 05 pen. But the white space was just too plain for me so I added some glitter and now it feels finished!

    This challenge was lots of fun and Amy was wonderful in teaching new tips, techniques and different ways of thinking about art! If you’re interested in learning more, please visit Amy Maricle’s site at MindfulArtStudio.com. She created a new online course, The Simplest Thing Journal which is based on some of the practices used in this challenge. It’s currently on sale sale through 2/13 so don’t miss out!!

    I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

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    “Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” ~Edgar Degas

    Photo by Daian Gan on Pexels.com

    Thoughtful Thursday Benefits of Aloe Vera

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    Photo by Jean van der Meulen on Pexels.com

    Growing up my parents had a beautiful garden and they loved growing plants for home remedies. Any time we got a sunburn or burned ourselves on a hot dish, dad would get a cutting from the large aloe plant he had growing out back.

    I remember him peeling the skin and exposing the clear jelly substance inside the leaf. It would ooze a thick yellow liquid that was actually the sap. The clear jelly part of the plant is what would make your skin fell better in no time.

    The Aloe Vera plant was originally from Africa but can be found all over the world. It has been used for centuries for it’s medicinal benefits. Aloe Vera is not classified as a cacti but rather a succulent.

    It can be used both internally and externally. Studies have shown it can boost collagen production and promote the healing of wounds. It also has antioxidant and antibacterial properties. It’s great for many skin irritations including bug bites, sunburns and can improve and even prevent wrinkles. As a mouth rinse it helps reduce dental plaque. When you drink the juice which is available in most grocery stores it helps to relieve digestive issues and can also lower blood sugar levels. It’s amazing the number of health benefits it has but these were just few.

    So if you’re looking for natural remedies having one of these plants should definitely be on your list. But be aware it may have adverse interactions with certain medications when taken internally. So as with any lifestyle change always seek the advice of a medical professional to make sure it’s a good fit for you 😊

    Hope you enjoyed today’s post, thanks for stopping by!!

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    “Nature is so smart it put the medicine inside the food.” ~Unknown

    Expressions of Love Update

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    A quick shop update. I always felt that we should express our love and appreciation to those we care about every day and not limit it to one day a year. And that was my motivation in creating this new line, Expressions of Love.

    These 5×5 inch paintings were created on a thick 1.5 inch canvas so have the choice on how to display them. You can hang them in a small area or you could buy several and hang them as a nice grouping on your wall. The other option which I love with this thick canvas is that you can easily stand it on it’s side making it perfect decor for a desk, shelf or counter.

    They are happy and fun paintings that will brighten up any space. They’ll come packaged in a pretty cellophane bag and tied with ribbon. These are the first two paintings I have available in my Etsy Shop and I’ll be adding more this week.

    What do you think?

    Thanks for stopping by!!

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