Go with the Flow

I haven’t done much painting over the school holidays — I decided to make the most of having Harley (grandson) home. Such a lovely young man, sixteen now and on his L-plates. He got some real dirt-road driving experience on our trip to the Gregory.

Grandma — who, believe it or not, is a control freak — had to zip her mouth and let him go. He did extremely well, and I have no worries about him becoming a confident, capable driver on our roads.

Being a control freak… where did that come from? Probably Mum — she was quite the organiser. But I think it really started when I was a child. My mother used to have epileptic fits at random times, and as a kid I was often there but had absolutely no control over the situation. Maybe that’s where the need to manage everything began.

It’s probably lucky I’m a realistic artist, because that trait is essential when bringing a painting to its planned finish. Even with watercolours — that “go-with-the-flow” medium — realism still demands a fair bit of planning to make controlled chaos look natural.

A lot like being a passenger in a Toyota on a bendy, corrugated dirt road with a sixteen-year-old driver. All you can see is the cute three-year-old he once was, and you have an overwhelming urge to control the situation — but to get the best result, you just have to sit back and let it happen.

I’m off next week for my new hip — very excited! I’ll miss a few newsletters while I recover, but I’ll see you all again in a few weeks.

Cheers,
Rowena

Going with the flow Gregory River