Autumn Is Brewing: The Joy of Painting, Creating & Giving This Fall
There is something about fall that makes me want to create.
Maybe it's the pumpkins showing up on porches, the leaves beginning to change, or that first cool morning when a warm cup of coffee suddenly sounds especially good.
The “Autumn is Brewing” painting pictured here was actually one I painted as a gift for someone. And I think that's another reason I love creating this time of year. A handmade gift doesn't have to be perfect or elaborate. There's something special about giving someone something you sat down and made just for them.
That's really what painting is about for me. It's not about creating a masterpiece. It's about enjoying the process, making something that brings a little happiness, and sometimes passing that happiness along to somebody else.
Fall Is Wonderfully Forgiving One of my favorite things about painting autumn designs is that they don't have to be perfect.
Pumpkins aren't perfectly round. Leaves aren't identical. Wood is full of knots and streaks. Fall colors naturally blend together—orange, rust, brown, gold, cream and green—and a slightly crooked line can actually make a painting feel more charming.
That's exactly why I love teaching beginner painters. You don't need to know how to draw. You don't need expensive supplies. And you definitely don't need to make your painting look exactly like mine. You just need to be willing to put some paint on a brush and see what happens.
Simple Paintings Can Still Have Lots of Personality
One of the things I try to remember when I'm creating projects for my classes is that beginner-friendly doesn't have to mean boring. And the best part about the “Hello, Pumpkin” painting pictured here? I didn't paint it—one of my students did!
That's exactly why I wanted to share it. It's a pumpkin, a cozy mug, a few leaves and some loose greenery. None of those things is especially complicated on its own, but together they make a fun little fall painting with lots of personality.
That's what I love about teaching. Everyone starts with the same basic design, but by the end of class, no two paintings are ever quite the same. Each person adds a little bit of themselves to it without even realizing it.
You don't need years of painting experience to create something you're genuinely proud to hang in your home—or give to someone you love.
And if your pumpkin is a little lopsided or your leaves don't all match? Even better. That's how you know a real person painted it. Painting Is Also a Pretty Wonderful Way to Slow Down We're all busy. And somehow fall has a way of becoming really busy, really quickly.
Painting gives you permission to sit down for a while and concentrate on something that has absolutely nothing to do with your to-do list. You mix a color. You add a brushstroke. You decide your pumpkin needs another highlight. And for a little while, that's all you have to think about.
That's one of my favorite things about creating—not necessarily the finished painting, but the time spent making it.
Come Paint With Me This Fall
If you've been telling yourself that you're “not creative,” consider this your invitation to give painting a try anyway. At ADK Creative Works, I design my projects with beginners in mind. You can join us for classes, paint parties and creative events in the studio—or you can paint from home through ADK Creative Works HQ. HQ members can browse my growing Pattern Vault and choose from beginner-friendly painting projects, tracers and instructions whenever they're ready to create.
No pressure to be perfect. Just pick a project you love, grab your brushes, and start. Because autumn is brewing—and I think it's a pretty wonderful time to make something.
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