I’m getting ready for my theme for the Month of September which is ‘Wonder‘.

It is all about exploring the inner child and enthusiasm that is there. Also the Wonder of Nature.

I had such a lot of “Wonder” experiences with my mum Desiree Burford who was a painter and showed in many shows in Edmonton. She was always creating new paintings as I was growing up and was a role-model for me. She was one of the first artists to use acrylics in Canada. She was always open to new techniques and I admired that. She studied with many artists and one was Jack Shadbolt. Her paintings went in the beginning from being realistic to more abstract.

We loved painting together. I lived in Toronto but when I came home we painted. We shared painting techniques and many ways of making abstract grounds. I particularly like what I called ‘ocean painting” which was wet on wet technique that really let the water speak as you painted. I ended up doing various paintings for my first book Journey to Dodoland with this technique. One being Neptune King of the Sea and another Elemental Dodo.

I also did Night Bubble painting which I discovered in putting an opaque bubble background to an abstract group. I used this in the night Bubble in Dodoland and also in the Kindness & Creativity Storyteller in ‘Star Galaxy for the World“. Dale Bertrand And I also did this painting technique in painting as well as Wonder Workshops for both children and adults.

I have done my abstract grounds with the Elements and call it Elemental Painting. I do Ocean and Wind painting and I have painted with various herbs using the plants as textural relief for a Texture Painting that I call Plant Painting. Sometimes with glass or splashing, I do Cosmic Painting . I have also used techniques I call Sun and Moon Painting. I did Ocean, Plant and Cosmic with many paintings for my story – ‘Dream Gifts for the Planet Earth‘.

My mother and I together would do what we called ‘Crystal Painting‘ which looked like the fairies came to help. We would paint together for days. Many of these abstract ground could later be used in my Dream Painting and books.

All of these various techniques I use to make my Dream Paintings.

My goal this year is to share my techniques of painting and ideas for painting from your imagination, being spontaneous, and painting your dreams.

Create a Dream

Della Burford

Wonder painting by Della Burford using Ocean, Texture & Night Bubble Painting. With wings we fly! Painted in 2012 for the Dream Wheels book. I studied the Mische technique in Vienna and this technique,though adapted, influenced this painting. This painting is from a dream.
Neptune King of the Sea painted for Dodoland by Della Bruford- Ocean painting – painted in 1975 – This was painted from a dream.
Elemental Dodo by Della Burford. The Elemental Dodo appeared in the paint when painting – He became the guide to Dodoland.
Twin Flames by Della Burford painted with Ocean, Night Bubble & Texture painting.