My students often ask me, "How do you see all those colors?" Then they usually follow up with, "All I see is a _______ (fill in the blank: white flower, grey wall, brown mountain, blue sky, green tree, etc.) The truth is the world is made up of mixtures of color. 

Students especially seem to struggle with whites. What colors do you use to paint something white? The answer is both simple and complex. Whites have all three of the primary colors in their shadow areas. Look at the peonies above. Can you see areas that are more yellow, more red (pink), and more blue? 

What if I do this? 

This is the same photo, just with the contrast and saturation levels raised. Now you can see all that color, right? It was there all the time. You just have to look for it. Scroll back up to the first photo and see if you can see the reds, yellows, and blues now.

Artists train their eyes to see color in places other people miss. I don't need to saturate my photos to see the color--it's almost like my eyes have a built-in saturation filter.

Below is my finished painting. You can see that what I paint is somewhere in between the regular image and the saturated one. Nature is masterful at blending and creating complex colors. It's an artist's job to bring out and emulate that complexity so others don't miss it.

I have always loved postcards. Antique ones in plastic sleeves in gift shops. Fancy reproductions of favorite paintings in museums. Glossy photos in tourist traps. I love them all.

But I especially love painting my own postcards. Often when I go out of town I'll paint a postcard to send to a friend, or to my dad, someone I know will appreciate the effort and the artwork. I have painted postcards on a street corner in Tijuana, with a circle of kids looking over my shoulder, in San Francisco and Monterey Bay with tourists passing by and the wind whipping. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming when I was there for a watercolor workshop. In Hawaii last fall. At Bear Lake with friends. In faraway England, when I was studying at Cambridge, and more recently when my husband and I were overseeing a group of study abroad students ourselves.

A few weeks ago (BC = Before the Corona Virus) I was at my dad's house in his study, and he pulled something out of a frame on his desk so I could see what it was -- a postcard I had sent him from London four years ago. I was so touched that he had not only kept it, but framed it. Has kept it on his desk all these years. That is the magic of a painted postcard!

Here's why I love painting postcards:

• They're just a sketch, an impression.
• They don't take long and don't have to be a masterpiece.
• They're so fun to make! 
• They capture a memory far better than anything you could buy.
• I love the anticipation--imagine their expression when they find a little miniature painting in their mailbox.
• You remember a place (or even an idea) better when you sketch it, or paint it.
• You send a part of you (and your experience) home to a loved one.
• Your loved one gets something personal and unique rather than something you bought at a store.
• You immerse yourself in the place—absorbing the sights, sounds, smells, everything.
• You immerse yourself in the creative zone—color, light, water, and inspiration.
• In our wild, digital world, anything handmade is a treasure!

I know not everybody has the skill or even the inclination to whip out a pencil and paints, and create a custom work of art to send to someone they love. But I wanted to share the experience of creating a postcard with you! 

That's one reason I created this Creative Connections Watercolor Workshop/Kit Creative Connections greeting card workshop/kit. To give you the joy of creation, without all the fear of getting started.

• I took away the fear of expense -- It doesn't require a palette or expensive paints. Or even a class. The paint and paper are included. The instruction is too, and it's all accessible online. The new MINI kit is an even bigger bargain.
• I took away the fear of drawing -- I drew the messages myself and had them printed right onto the card so you don't have to draw at all...you just get the fun part...painting!
• I took away the fear of painting -- You don't have to decide which colors to use. Or where to start. I guide you step by step through the process in the online videos. 

The biggest reason...and I had this idea before, but now it just seems so crucial...is our current state of isolation. We need ways to connect...with the people around us, and those who live far away. We need to tell people we love them. We need to feel close even though we can't touch. A postcard is tangible love.