#WorldWatercolorGroup - Day 19 - When The Flowers Return - Doodlewash
By Charlie

When The Flowers Return

Written by Charlie O'Shields

After the dark days of winter, it’s always lovely to see signs of spring. Buds appearing, and a tapestry of nature just waiting for her moment to spring to life and bloom. Today, I grabbed a larger brush and made a quick little doodlewash of a vase of pink flowers. The flowers haven’t quite appeared here yet. It rained pretty much all day long and the sun isn’t promised to return until dawn. The temperature is still a bit cool and feels like it’s uncertain as to whether it wants to make the transition. But tomorrow is the first official day of spring here, so I hope the weather will just give up already and comply. Though it can be a bit rainy throughout the season where I live, there are glorious days worth waiting for that deliver beautiful sunny skies at just the right temperature. For my friends in southern California, the equivalent of just another day, but here, it’s always rather exceptional. We’ll move outside to the terrace for dinner and enjoy a lovely evening watching the sun set. There are definitely magical times ahead.

As the seasons change, I always find myself reflecting more and more about what I’m currently doing and what I’d like to do next. No crazy mood swings or extreme shifts in behavior, just a quiet contemplation about new things. There are, of course, a ton of things I’d love to do in my life while I still have the precious chance to do them. Some of them may never happen at all, while other things will just come a bit close, and still others will reveal some very lucky moments. And what’s funny is that even dreaming about wonderful things makes me happy. Sure, it would be lovely if many of them occur, but the act of simply imagining them fills me with enthusiasm and joy. Philippe and I had a goal to publish a book this year and we did so, though it was a bit of a learning experience. It appears that Amazon has moved our DO Cook! into only marketplace sellers at a higher price, so we’ve reformatted it into a brand new version, in softcover, at a much lower price that you can find by clicking here!  This version turned out lovely, but our original square version with premium paper that we gave to our moms, will always be close to our hearts, and is still available in limited edition hardback with just three copies left! 

Spring is a time of rebirth and that always makes me rather giddy for all the lovely changes ahead. There are lots of amazing new things coming to Doodlewash so please stay tuned. As you know, I don’t simply dream, I DO! So there are lots of fun new things coming. I won’t reveal them quite yet as many of them are still like those little buds, patiently waiting to fully bloom. And, in truth, so many of my dreams are a bit crazy and require a lot of research and skills I don’t actually possess. But that has never once stopped me from pursuing them. No matter what happens in life and no matter how many challenges I face, I know in my heart that I have the power to make amazing things happen. We all do. The impossible is always a bit more possible than we ever realize. It just takes a lot of determination and hope to make those dreams become a reality. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that you can’t ever stop trying. Each little moment is a launching pad that sends me into the next cool thing and soon those dreams get just a bit closer to coming true. It may not happen as quickly as I’d like, but eventually I’ll find myself in that lovely and shining moment when the flowers return.

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About the Doodlewash

Da Vinci Paint Co.: Nickel Azo Yellow, Opus (Vivid Pink), Leaf Green, and Cobalt Blue.  Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!
 #WorldWatercolorGroup - Day 19 - When The Flowers Return - Doodlewash

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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33 thoughts on “When The Flowers Return”

  1. Your spring flowers are gorgeous and I needed them. We’ve had decent weather here for a few weeks, but the flowers have been slow to blossom, so it’s great to see the color. I’m waiting eagerly to see what you have planned for us – when Charlie dreams, we all win!

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  2. I love your painting of flowers! The colors are just right and the reflections are beautiful. Such a happy little sketch makes me think of summer and reminds me to notice and enjoy the nice weather in L.A. (instead of taking it for granted).

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  14. Dreaming of flowers here too Charlie, at least when I’m not thinking melting snow, wishing I could think it into happening, hehe. I get contemplative during season shifts too. I’m probably a wee bit slower at actualizing my new dreams and goals, but they’re there, building up more like mountains than budding blooms. For starters, I’m planning on actually submitting my latest painting into a juried competition! eek!

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