My Artists Journey
The Story Behind Ginny’s Palette — Art from the Heart
Where It All Began
Art has always been part of my life. As a child, I loved to draw, paint, and create just about anything I could imagine. I still have a painting I made in 1973 that won a blue ribbon at the county fair. Over the years, that blue ribbon has faded to purple, but the memory and the painting are still with me.
My mother was a seamstress and always encouraged my creativity. She made me some wonderful outfits. I grew up surrounded by fabrics, colors, and the idea that you could make something wonderful with your own two hands. Sewing, crocheting, bead making, painting, and countless other crafts were all part of my world. For many years, I even hand-painted our family Christmas cards in watercolor.
Creativity was never something I had to discover. It was always there, waiting for the next project.
Finding My Way Back to the Canvas
Although art was always part of my life, I didn’t think of myself as a professional artist. I took art classes as a child and in school but never pursued formal art training. More recently, I began taking continuing education classes, but then COVID interrupted those plans. Below are three art class paintings pre-Covid.
Eventually, I discovered Art2Life, an online art program that has become much more than a place to learn techniques. It introduced me to a wonderful community of artists and coaches who share their knowledge, encourage experimentation, and offer support without judgment.
That community helped give me the confidence to take my art more seriously and begin sharing it with others.
Discovering My Own Style
I’ve always loved Impressionism, particularly the way color and brushstrokes can suggest something without defining every detail. Sometimes I have a picture in my mind that I struggle to translate onto the canvas. Occasionally it works exactly as I imagined. More often, the painting has other ideas.
And I’ve discovered that I rather enjoy that.
Abstract and mixed-media art give me the freedom to explore without knowing exactly where I’m going. I love color, texture, layers, and the depth they create. A painting can change direction several times before becoming something entirely different from what I first envisioned. If there was event a vision to begin with only canvas and color.
I’ve also always looked at everyday objects and imagined what else they could become. My mind is constantly redesigning, rearranging, and finding new possibilities in things others might overlook.
An old object isn’t necessarily finished with its life. Sometimes it’s just waiting for a new purpose.
The Joy of the Unexpected
My creative process doesn’t always begin with a plan. Sometimes it’s a color combination, an interesting texture, or an unusual object that catches my attention.
I love discovering possibilities in unexpected places, old doilies, dumpster wood, an old window.
I once found some rather ugly metal wall decorations from the 1990s ( I love a good estate sale). They weren’t particularly appealing, but they had beautiful copper leaves attached. I removed the leaves and saved them for a new piece of artwork, still only in my mind at this point. The items I gained from this piece will be great to use in my art. I have a few ideas. Another time, the honeycomb paper used to protect a shipment became the inspiration for an entire mixed-media painting called Second Life: The Original. You can see this below. I see more of these in my future.
Working with acrylics and mixed media gives me the freedom to change my mind. If something isn’t working, I can paint over it, add another layer, introduce a new material, or take the entire piece in a different direction.
I sometimes wonder whether a painting is ever really finished.
To me, life is made up of layers—time, experiences, people, and diversity. Each layer contributes something to who we become. I see artwork in much the same way. The layers, textures, changes, and occasional imperfections are what give a piece its character.
Some paintings come together easily. Others take a long, bumpy road. But that’s part of the adventure.
Every Piece Has a Story
Some of my artwork begins with a idea or feeling, while other pieces develop entirely through experimentation.
Second Life grew from discarded packing materials that I transformed into a textured abstract using deep blues, grays, and metallic copper. It’s a reminder that something ordinary, even something headed for the trash, can become beautiful when viewed differently.
Where Joy Grows is a colorful abstract garden filled with layers of purple, turquoise, pink, green, and yellow. There are little surprises throughout the painting, details that might not reveal themselves until someone takes a closer look. This started as a dark moody painting but a prompt during a coaching session to paint over everything in bright pastels gave it life.
I enjoy creating artwork that invites curiosity. I want people to discover something new each time they look.
Learning to Share My Art
For a long time, creating art was something I did primarily for myself. Sharing it with others, especially strangers, was another matter. That constant artist fear of rejection.
Recently, I hung my current artwork throughout our stairwell, creating my own little personal gallery. The positive comments I received were encouraging and helped me feel more comfortable sharing my work.
One thing I’ve learned through the Art2Life community is that each artist brings a different perspective to their paintings and each viewer brings another perspective. Constructive comments can help me see something I haven’t considered, although I ultimately have to decide whether those suggestions belong in the piece.
Abstract art can be especially interesting in this regard. Some people see shapes, faces, landscapes, or stories. Others struggle because they want to recognize something familiar.
But sometimes a line is just a line. And that’s perfectly fine with me.
Art from the Heart
Creating art brings tremendous joy to my life. It’s a way to express my perspective, explore new ideas, and experience the excitement of discovery.
I love watching a painting find its own direction. Just like life, sometimes the journey is smooth and easy. Other times it’s a long, winding road filled with unexpected turns and do overs. There may be moments of frustration, changes of direction, and a few things I’d rather paint over.
But reaching that destination—or discovering a completely different one—is incredibly satisfying.
When someone looks at my artwork, I hope it sparks curiosity, conversation, and perhaps a little joy. They don’t have to see what I see. In fact, I find it fascinating when they see something entirely different.
That’s one of the wonderful things about art. It can mean something different to everyone.
The tagline for Ginny’s Palette is “Art from the Heart,” because that’s exactly where my artwork comes from. Creating brings me happiness, discovery, and joy every day, and I hope a little of that finds its way to others.
The Journey Continues
Today, I’m spending more time doing what I’ve always loved, creating art and exploring new possibilities.
I’m continuing to learn through the Art2Life community, experimenting with techniques and materials, and building my collection of original artwork.
I’m also taking steps that once seemed a little intimidating. I’ve started Ginny’s Palette, began sharing my work online, and built a website to showcase my art. My goal for next summer is to participate in two art fairs and explore opportunities to display my work in local galleries.
I know that putting my artwork in front of the public will bring all kinds of opinions, both positive and negative. That will be another part of the journey, and another opportunity to grow.
What excites me most is that I don’t know exactly where this adventure will lead.
There are still so many colors to explore, materials to discover, techniques to try, and paintings waiting to happen.
And if I’ve learned anything from art, it’s that the most interesting things often happen when you allow yourself to take an unexpected turn.
Welcome to Ginny’s Palette. My journey is still unfolding, one layer, one discovery, and one painting at a time.