Rediscovering Gouache Painting

Hello, it's me. Still updating this blog with noteworthy-ish discoveries. :) 

    I don't have much to say except that i was able to rediscover the wonders of gouache painting. Whether i want admit it or not, i've always had this weird love-hate relationship with painting. As much  as it inspires me, it also frustrates me. There were times when, while in the middle of painting a scene, I felt frustrated because it was too difficult. Unlike journaling, painting requires concentration and the magical eye for " shadows and highlights"-which i obviously don't have. 

    So it was a real surprise when a short documentary about Dexys Midnight Runners inspired me to paint. Not the usual inspiration for painting, but it was really helpful. Dexys Midnight Runners led to a new nighttime routine- painting my heart out. Ok, I am not literally painting my heart out. What i want to say is, I SPENT THE LAST 2-3 NIGHTS JUST PAINTING WHAT MY HEART DESIRES. It was a big surprise because i suddenly felt a little less frustrated with my works. My works are far from the best works out there, but these are my best works to date. 

    This rediscovery also allowed me to use my old paints and brushes. For the longest time, I was contemplating whether I should throw them away or keep them. When painting feels frustrating, I place them somewhere I can't see them-so as not to be reminded of what I cannot do. Although unearthing my paints took less than 10 minutes, the act of squeezing the tubes and seeing the colors come out of from the tubes made me feel a little uncomfortable. It felt like committing to something I can't finish because of the frustration it brings. Luckily, the last 3 nights made it easier for me to let go of that fear. 

    I still struggle with highlights and shadows, the picture above proves that. By the way, that's the White Cliffs of Dover in England. I chose that subject due to my recent Mr. Bean rewatch. Although the cliffs weren't part of the show, watching Mr. Bean takes me back to those days when the only thing I knew about England were its cliffs and moors. Although I've seen a lot of English shows over the years, my childhood idea about England- white cliffs and green moors-remain. 

Notes from July (which, i'm afraid, I'll post on August)

July was a long month. A very, very long month. 

Half sunny, half rainy

I think July was mostly rainy

Grey skies and gloomy atmosphere

MOVIES/ TV SERIES / DOCUMENTARIES

1. Little Women- This was the first movie I told myself I'll watch when the lockdown was imposed on Manila. It took 4 months before I got the chance to see this for the very first time ( Thanks, Netflix). The Professor is my favorite character. 
2. La Belle Personne- This is my favorite movie for this month, probably one of the favorites from all the ones I've seen since I started this monthly notes. The movie perfectly captured the gloomy atmosphere of the season. I never thought that I'd find the bleak sceneries of Europe appealing after many years of trying to remove that imagery from my imagination. By the way, the professor is my least favorite character. 
3. Shining Inheritance-  It's a surprise to see this on Netflix. Hello, childhood memories.

*My August 2020-self just noticed some similarities between Little Women and La Belle Personne- female characters, unrequited love, snow, trees, Louis Garrel as Professor. HAHAHA*

MUSIC/ PODCASTS/ AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

1. Blood on the Tracks- THIS ALBUM WAS THE PERFECT COMPANION FOR THE GLOOMY ATMOSPHERE OF JULY. I can't stress enough how much this album became the backbone of my month. I spent many days of the month listening to every single track and trying to memorise every single line and capturing every emotion of every single story. 
2. Highway 61 Revisited- This ,as this month's favorite, was unexpected. I didn't give much attention to this album as I was so into Blood on the Tracks. What got me into Highway 61 was the song called " It Takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry". It reminds me of blues songs I listen to every night before I sleep. 
3. The Lion's Roar- First Aid Kit's Ruins is the soundtrack of December; a sad album to compensate for the lack of melancholy during the season. Surprisingly, The Lion's Roar sounds the same. 
4. Elle était si jolie- This song was used in the movie La Belle Personne. The song captured the overall theme of the movie, which is our inability to capture the totality of other people. There will always be a part of other people that we will never grasp no matter how much we want to. That reveals our limitations as mortals- something we tend to forget when we are in love. 

(here's a quote from the movie reflecting the song's meaning)

1. Blueberry Hill- I was listening to this while gazing at a cemetery's wonderful architecture. This song made it easier for me to go to cemetery without fear of ghosts and supernatural elements.
2. La Voix Du Silence- I did not expect to hear a French version of a Simon and Garfunkel classic. 
3. The American Civil War- I discovered a 4-part documentary on BBC iplayer app about the American Civil War. It's a topic I want to learn more about since its consequences are still evident  in American society up to this day. 
4. Classic Albums- This is another documentary available on BBC Iplayer app. The documentary discusses different classic albums.

BOOKS

1. One Day in December by Josie Silvers- Still unsure if I'll continue reading this. 
2. Voices of Akenfield by Ronald Blythe- This book tells the stories of people from Suffolk, England. It's a chronicle of village life during the first half of the 20th century. Reading this reminds me of The Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur in terms of its setting and storyline.