VICKIE BOLDUC

The Joy She Shares

VICKIE DABBLED IN A COUPLE OF GROUP PAINT SESSIONS, BUT NONE OF THEM HAD INSTRUCTION. THE DESIRE TO ELEVATE HER AND HER HUSBAND’S STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY IS WHAT BROUGHT HER TO BEYOND THE BRUSHES IN SEPTEMBER 2019.

After several attempts to find instruction on how to paint in Photoshop, Vickie couldn’t find what she had in mind. Then, she stumbled across the Elevate Your Art in-person workshops. Unfortunately, none of those were ever at a convenient time for her, so she kept searching but to no avail. When she saw that a perpetual online course was going to start, Vickie immediately signed up. For Vickie, there has been no turning back, and she finds continuous joy and amazement with how far she has come.

Her inspiration for this series came from several directions, but the seasons of the year and of life were Vickie’s biggest source. In anticipation of newness in life during spring, flowers blossomed. On the sunny and windy days of summer, times reminiscent of blowing dandelions and the wind blowing through her dress swept through her mind. They brought with them memories of youthfulness, being outdoors, and enjoying life. Vickie remembered the days of having her horse, Tootsie, on her granddad’s farm.

At the end of the summer, Vickie’s life took a sudden turn with a great loss. The fall ended up being a blur. As the cold weather crept in, Vickie went out on a limb and bought new Christmas ornaments with words of inspiration. From the doldrums of winter, a chickadee painting brought joy. A true testament to Vickie’s character can be heard in this simple yet beautiful statement, “Although it has been a hard season, among all of the hardships, there is still joy to be found, joy to be seen, joy to be shared, and joy to be painted!”

And the joys of this series? They were abundant. Vickie had a model come in, and knowing Vickie wanted to paint something with a long flowing dress, the model knew just how to pose to match what Vickie had in mind. For the chickadee, Vickie gratified herself by working freehand to do the greenery. Throughout all of the paintings, she was elated to find she was able to use her favorite brush, Brushy Goodness. The variety it offers helped bring the best parts into view.

The best part of all though was reaching the finish. Vickie wanted all of them to have soft and simple palettes to lend to the subjects she had in mind. Being able to say “complete” and add the perfect frame made each one truly a finished piece of artwork. Even though there is nothing like the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment of finished art, sometimes getting started is the hardest part. That was the case for Vickie because she struggles with putting too much pressure on getting it right. She has been working on getting past herself and her self-doubt to take the plunge on seeing how things turn out in the end.

So the greatest piece of advice Vickie can give? Step away! She said, “When I am feeling frustrated or questioning a decision about a painting, the best thing for me to do is step away, get a different perspective, and then come back to it later. I find this is so beneficial in so many areas of life, not just painting. It truly does help to get your eyes and mind off of the painting and then return to it with fresh thinking and clear eyes.”

WHETHER SHE’S PAINTING TO THE WORDS OF WORSHIP OR THE BEAT OF 70S ROCK, VICKIE IS AN EAGER BEAVER TO LEARN. SHARING HER PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART WITH HER HUSBAND MAKES THE ADVENTURE ALL THE SWEETER.

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