I was told last year that watercolor is great for creating book covers. So after receiving a small set from my husband for Christmas, I set about learning how to use them. I am still very much a beginner, but I am so proud of this accomplishment that I have to share it with the world.
The blues and greens of this piece just make me happy. It feels alive and full of hope, though to some the tree itself might seem stark and strange.
Inspiration for the arm like branch came from two poems from my forthcoming chapbook THE BRANCH THAT I AM, now available for preorder.
In the poems ‘Rooted Deep,’ and ‘The Branch,’ I liken myself to a tree. In one I am planted by streams of living water, and the other, I fall away and am taken on an unexpected journey of renewal.
I hope you all look at the great products this design is available on. All proceeds go towards publication costs and website upkeep. Thank you.
Mary Grace van der Kroef
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It’s really happening! I am so excited to announce the final cover design for my upcoming chapbook.
Cover art by Mary Grace van der Kroef. Original watercolor design on watercolor paper.
The Editing process has stretched me. There were tears, and procrastination and frustration. But I am so thankful for the process. I have learned so much from working with an editor, and I am proud of what we have accomplished for my first release.
I don’t have a set release date yet as final formatting needs to take place, but look for it before a pre-sale date announced in the next few weeks, with a release date in early November. (That is the goal.)
We store away our children’s scrap paper drawings as if they were masterpieces. Maybe not all of them, but the few that hold sentimental meaning. But with our own art, whether written word, the stroke of a paintbrush, or a photograph of a first cake decorating session, we push them to the back cupboard, or even throw them away.
Making room for a new and better isn’t wrong, but maybe we should hang on to one or two of those learning pieces. Treasuring them like we do the scribbles and hand paintings of childhood.
Why?
Undoubtedly your first works hold mistakes, just as mine do. So why keep any of them? Why show any of them to anyone?
They are beautiful examples of growth.
How often do you get discouraged in your creative life, and need a reminder of just how far you have come? How many times do you need help to keep your feet on the ground? Or encouragement to not give up? Keeping, and even displaying the art made while in the first stages of learning can be these powerful reminders.
Above is a picture of my first 4 foot by 2 foot painting. I wanted to stretch myself and see how different it was to paint a larger piece. The water was FAR from what I was going for…
So when I finished, what did I do with it? I hung it in on my kitchen wall, and every time I looked up at it, I thought about what I would do differently next time. (Now it’s hanging in my sister’s cabin because she is crazy and loves it.) I learned so much from just looking at it every day for over a year.
Everyone was once a beginner. No one has yet ‘arrived’ at perfection. So cherish those sloppy first strokes and overused words. Let them shine a light on your future creative path.
Today is the day! Mary Grace Writing is officially ONE YEAR OLD!
I am a muddle of disbelief, pride, exhaustion, and determination.
Like for an infant just learning how to walk, and it’s pretty exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. Slowly and surly I am learning how to navigate the literary world. I never expect to be the next ‘great up-and-coming thing’, and that is okay. But I am proving to myself I can do this thing called writing and publishing.
Consistency had been key for me. Three posts a week except for a health brake, has really added up.
I think my favorite part of blogging is seeing how far of a reach my writing has had. People from over 70 different countries have found my words through various methods. Watching for new flags to pop up on my views chart is so much fun. I have no way of knowing how any of my work has been received by the many cultures these flags represent, but I hope I brought some positivity in their worlds.
Thank you to all of you, my followers. Year one has just been baby steps, and I have a long way to go before reaching my goals, but I see that as a good thing.
Year Two, what’s next?
Hopefully, a book cover reveal and a chapbook launch happening sooner than later, adding to my publication’s portfolio, and getting to work on my long thought through full-length fiction projects. I have a lot of words to move. I have an amazing God to help me move them.
Mary Grace van der Kroef
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Have you ever walked a beach in the early morning, and seen the pink in a sunrise shimmering off the water? Its quiet moments like that I live for.
When I can’t find them in my own life, I like to paint them into being. Morning Beach is an example of such a moment. I was looking for quiet in the middle of a house gone mad, and here I found it.
Morning Beach is also another example of my early works. It is one of the first pieces of other artists in my social group. It was such a boost to hear their encouraging words. As I was and still am growing into my art.
Originaly painted on canvase papper in acrylic paint.
I have never been afraid to show my artwork in all its imperfections. Prairie Sunset is another of my early works inspired by a photograph taken by my friend Jason Shepard. I love being able to look back and see the growth that has happened in my work. I am not ashamed of where I have come from. We are all beginners once.
The absence of fear in showing what I can do in the place and time I currently stand has given people the chance to share in the joy of my art. I love to share it. I love to show you what can be done if just start, try, and keep going.
Originally painted on canvas paper in acrylic paint.
I painted this butterfly as a practice piece for a larger painting, for my Mother. One of her favorite things is butterflies. It was a huge test of my abilities as my first painting at home, and not in an art class with an instructor. The original is quite small, and was how I learned my natural ability to paint bugs. I find joy in the tinny details.
I chose to make this early work available at my Redbubble Art Shop for sentimental reasons. My family enjoys access to artwork that is meant for them, and being able to choose what products to have it printed on.
Butterfly, originally painted on canvas paper, with acrylic paints.
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Today I would like to share with you all an early painting of mine.
Grandpa’s Bee was painted in memory of my grandfather, John Miller. He was a carpenter, farmer, and beekeeper.
I decided to upload this little guy at the request of some of my family members. I love how I am able to share him with all of them, though my art shop.
Flowers continue to be something I struggle with in my paintings, as as this is an earlier piece, it’s not my best. But that is okay. I am not about perfection, especially when there is meaning behind a work of art.
Grandpa’s Bee, the original, was painted on canvas paper, in acrylic paint.
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Black Capped Chickadee by: Mary Grace van der Kroef. Original painting is acrylic on 12in stretched round canvas.
This week I have a new design available at my Redbubble Shop! I am really proud of this one. I had been eyeing up some round canvas paintings an acquaintance of mine was creating, and decided to ask for some at Christmas this last year. My husband obliged me, and this is the first put to good use.
I have proven to myself that birds are something I am gifted in painting, but flowers are different. I usually struggle with getting the depth I desire, or the delicate details my mind is picturing. This is an example of one of my best attempts. I am proud of it, so am excited to make it available for other people to enjoy.
Black Capped Chickadee is available on over 70 different products though the Redbubble Shop.
Mary Grace Writing 