Oil Pastel: Dream Tree

So it's been ages and ages since I really did any art beyond doodling in class notes and a handful of sketch attempts. I love art and creating things, but my perfectionism and self-critic has always been a hard thing for me to get around. Since I haven't done it much, I am out of practice, and tend to feel like the things I do manage are about kindergarten level. I miss art though. I miss the feel of charcoal/pencil/oil pastel on paper, on watching something develop from what almost seem like random lines, the delight of playing with colors and seeing what comes out. So today I sat down and worked on a small piece. It's an idea I've had for a while and is inspired by something I read on jjhunter's blog ages ago. I do not remember which post, but at some point the idea of a dream tree, which produces the seeds of dreams, was mentioned. I've been aching to try to draw this for ages. I pictured a slightly surreal looking tree with bright colors and strange flowers against a gorgeously dark sky, the seeds little balls of light floating on the air. I decided to play with my oil pastels and try to capture what I saw. I'm not entirely satisfied by the results. It is definitely kind of surreal, but feels like it isn't quite what it should be. However I am happy that I drew it, and that I enjoyed drawing it. I am doing my best not to let my inner critic destroy that joy.

( Dream Tree (Pic under cut) )