Absorbing the sensory, mindful moment before any paint touches the surface. This kind of presence draws me away from worry and into a slower rhythm, one where the mind gently quietens and the body feels less tightly held.
When I paint outdoors, I am really enjoying the art of noticing. Real looking. The kind that requires you to tune in rather than rush. I observe the curve of a field, the way a cloud drifts across the sky, the subtle shifts of colour that are easy to miss in the usual busyness of life. I breathe it all in: the scent of grass, the warmth or coolness of the air, the layers of sound, the textures beneath my hands. This act of noticing becomes its own relaxing form of meditation.
And then, slowly, the painting begins. Not to capture a perfect likeness, but to honour the moment. To translate what it feels like to be there. The marks I make are not driven by productivity or pressure, they are guided by connection and curiosity. Outside, I’m just responding: to the land, to the weather, to my own shifting energy. The process becomes a dialogue rather than an outcome.
A Mindful Art Exercise.
The Art of Noticing
Try this simple exercise outdoors, with black ink and a tool of your choice:
- — Sit on the ground and close your eyes for a moment.
- — Breathe in for the count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat four times.
- — Open your eyes. Spray water onto a blank page.
- — Make one mark to represent the taste in your mouth.
- — Make two marks for two smells you can smell.
- — Make three marks for the texture of the ground beneath you.
- — Make four marks for the sounds you can hear.
- — Make five marks for five things you can see.
- — Choose one coloured ink and make one mark for how you feel in this moment.