Watercolor Meditation #4: Obstacles

This year I've thought a lot about obstacles.  Things that get in my way.  Sometimes  it's other circumstances and people;  sometimes it's me and my emotions.  I like this activity because it clearly demonstrates that obstacles don't have to stop the flow.  The flow just gets redirected for a bit. And that can be a beautiful thing. 

Watercolor Meditation:  Obstacles Take a deep breath and relax.  Breathe in.  Breathe out. Relax your shoulders. Relax your arms and hands. Breathe. You are going to have so much fun! The purpose of this meditation is to show you how the water just flows around obstacles.   Watercolor is wet, so anything that is dry is an obstacle.  The paint will flow with the wet every time.  Gather your materials:   You will be able to use these few materials for all of the activities in the series.   Watercolor pigments: Tubes, pans, or sets. Whatever is easy for you to get and use. Make sure you like the colors. [You can also use coffee or tea if that's all you have close by.] If you have tubes, then you'll need an old plate or lid to use as a palette.  Paper:  Any size mixed media paper or watercolor paper.   Thicker watercolor paper won't buckle if you decide to use a lot of water in one of these activities.  You'll need at least one sheet for each activity, but you'll probably have so much fun with some of these that you'll just keep playing.  6 x 6  inches or so is a nice size.  Big enough to play, but not be too intimidating.  If you have larger paper and want to cut it down, go right ahead.  [You can also use a napkin if that's all you have close by.] Brush:  Any watercolor brush will do.   Size 8 or 10 round is good for starters. [You can also use a straw, spoon, etc. if that's all you have close by.] Water jar:   To clean your brush in.  A recycled food jar is great.  Pint sized is great.  MEDITATION:  OBSTACLES Choose a color or two and make puddles in your palette. Swish your brush around in the plain water.  Get it good and wet. Brush that plain water to make three circles on the paper.   The dry areas in the middle of those circles are your obstacles.   Keep your circles dry and paint in the areas between the circles.  Tilt the paper and watch how the color flows around the obstacles.  Add colors or water as you wish and watch them flow. That's all.  Very simple.  We'll use this process again later in the Meditation series.   Thanks so very much for spending some time with this today.  I hope you've used this meditation to relax and put some calm in your day.  If you have a question, observation or photo you want to share, I'd love to hear from you! Email me. See all of my classes here. The other activities in this series: Meditation #1: Observation Meditation #2: Flow  Meditation #3: Resistance Meditation #4: Obstacles Meditation #5: Opposition Meditation #6: Wabi Sabi Bonus Meditation:  FLOW-ers