Why Variety adds Spice

I like plain food. I like to know what things will taste like in advance. Though I also like spicy food sometimes, or when other people cook the same things differently. It adds to my appreciation of what is “normal” for me.

As an artist it’s evolved that I mainly paint shearing sheds. Being a career artist is about being reliably predictable, and it suits me. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but every now and then I like to try new things.

In January I went to Norfolk Island with an art group. I was a student, learning from a well-known teacher. I wanted to learn how he painted, but I also wanted to learn how I could paint, in a different world.

I had fun.

I had fun with new papers, subjects, techniques, colours.
Each new element sort of jolted me from the “normal” of my art practice.
I learnt lots, and came away having seen other people painting the same things differently.

The landscape on Norfolk is similar to the North Coast, but the sea is a bright transparent blue. Cobalt Turquoise to be precise. Not a colour I find amongst the reds and browns of western Queensland shearing sheds.

I cannot un-see that blue.
It’s sharpened my senses, giving me a greater appreciation of what I do. It’s as if I’m seeing the shearing sheds, and my artwork, with new eyes. New sparkly eyes. I feel lighter.

We don’t need to travel all the way to a Pacific Island to add the sort of variety that will give us a lighter, sparklier view of our world. Even small adjustments to routine will add a certain spice.

Try one new thing.
That’s all it takes.