Calm in the Storm In these weird and too often stressful times, it is vital to have a means of grounding and calming oneself. My ability to use those tools was sorely tested yesterday when we had a pest control service at our house dealing with rats in the crawlspace, tree ants all over the front siding and in the house walls of my art room, and fungus on the floor joists. Oh, the joys and financial burdens of home ownership. Besides practicing gratitude that I have a house and doing some deep breathing, art came to my rescue. . . again. I just put on some calming music and played with watercolors and pens. Intuitive. No goal or planned vision in mind. Just play.  First task was to learn which of the watercolors I have are transparent. I researched and made swatches and inserts for my paint palettes. Then armed with new knowledge and a passion for intuitive art, I painted random swirlies and stripes.then came play with Micron and Posca pens. Great therapy! I painted lots of backgro...