I have spent the last few days with a wonderful book by one of my favourite watercolour artists, Mary Whyte. Although I have never seen one of her paintings, I have fallen in love with several of her paintings in photographs in various locations.The book is titled An Artist's Way of Seeing.

She writes:
" Art does not have to be something intended or something with a price tag. Art can be the way we set a table, lay a brick patio, teach a child to fly a kite or sweep a floor. It can be as simple as the way we cook a meal or write a postcard. When we are truly engaged in the experience of living and are not concerned with worldly expectations, the fruit of an artistic expression is inevitable.It will happen in spite of ourselves."

and
" Subject matter is neither pretty or ugly, as the beauty of a painting lies in the work itself. It is about seeing.... with the heart and soul as well."

and finally
" I've learned that painting from life can be one of life's greatest pleasures.....They all contribute to the soul of the work. And to my soul."

The delightful thing for me is that Mary Whyte writes the same way she paints, with gentleness and poetry and an abiding respect for the world and people she paints.
This is a book I will return to again and again.