HI EVERYBODY!!!! waving! hi hi! yay! I know I’ve popped in and out a bit over the week, but I missed you guys!
PHEW.
Where to start, one wonders. I had a feeling this week was going to be interesting (to me at least!), and I was right. I may not have all the answers I was hoping for (it was only a week! and this is me we’re talking about), but I learned some cool, and more importantly USEable stuff about myself, my work and the way I work. Which was kind of the point of the whole exercise.
There was frustration, aha moments, total inertia, frenzied note making, and three days where I didn’t paint at all! That’s right, almost half my immersion week involved not actually painting.
So the things I learned. This might have to span a few posts as all kinds of things came up. A few basics first. (A star means it’s more important.)
1. Acrylic inks make GREAT drippy drawings.
2. You can definitely overdo the drips.
*3. I want to tell STORIES, not paint pretty pictures. For a long while I was satisfied with making something that was aesthetically pleasing. Now I want it to MEAN something.
4. I don’t have to or need to or even necessarily want to paint every single day. (bit disappointed about that actually)
5. The desk in my studio is GREAT for sitting and thinking, and then writing down what I’ve been thinking about. (Awkward; the studio is meant to be for painting in.)
*6. If/when I have an idea, it’s generally best to get it down straight away, because notes never hold the secret of what the idea was really about when I go back to them. I have no doubt that some true masterpieces have been lost to the world because I thought ‘oh I’ll do it later’. Case in point; I made some notes about an incredible circle painting I wanted to do inspired by a book I was reading. Now when I look at the notes I don’t know what I was talking about.7. It is totally ok and extremely likely that every painting will have a stage where I hate it and can’t see a way through (ie. Ugly Phase), and that sometimes it doesn’t in fact make a better painting at the end of it.
8. I absolutely must draw more. As much as I despise most of the marks I make, every now and then something quite good comes out and I can use it in my paintings. (more on this later)
*9. My painting is starting to become about the thoughts I’m having, ideas sparked by the books I’m reading, and I suppose really the way I’m looking at the world these days. (more on this also another time)
10. I spent quite a while sitting on my stairs looking at my ‘gallery’ and noticed that aside from a penchant for rich colour, circles, text, collage and glazes, I also seem to divide my canvases up in some way or other, often into surprisingly angular sections.
11. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Like rug colours in Habitat for example.
12. Ok this is not new information but MAN I can procrastinate with the best of them. My process would appear to be all or nothing, drought then splurge, so I’m just gonna roll with that.
All of this is up for change. We are changing all the time so habits and behaviours change too. (Thank goodness.)
This is a bit scrappy but my thoughts are still bouncing about all over the shop. If you can picture the three sheets of A3 scribble-and-diagram-covered paper at my side right now you know what I’m sayin.
These are great realization/reflections. The ones with a * are really, really good!! What you've discovered is most definitely inspiring and I thank you for sharing! I need to spend more time finding "colour inspiration" and even texture in every day objects.
Another thing I always noticed about your paintings (not that is very "aha" or even important, just thought I'd mention): you tend to use a lot of blue and other cool colors, and not a lot of green. Is that intentional?
Sherry – thank you – I am still feeling quite unclear on some things so good to know some of it does make sense!
Joana – true, I do use a lot of blue/aqua/turquoise. And yellow recently, now I think about it. Aqua/turquoise is my favourite colour so that's probably something to do with it. I also think it may have something to do with chakra balancing, which I'm going to maybe talk about at some point.
Tara~Welcome back! Just a gentle note to tell you that your studio is YOUR studio and it does not have any rules or labels…you can paint, write, doodle, draw, and birth what dreams may come…and I think you have some marvelous stories to share in your paiting too.
Yay – welcome back!!! *waves from across the pond*
Glad to see the immersion week went well *high five!*
Love the points you made – I found points 3, 6-9 and 12 especially really resonated with me. I think the idea of 'writing the idea down as soon as you have it' is so important. I know countless times I've thought "oh I'll do it later" only for it to be lost forever in the recess of the craziness that is my mind.
It seems you really dug deep and discovered a lot and I am so inspired by you! thank you for sharing your thoughts – both the good and the bad! I definitely think I may need to try to this exercise myself soon
p.s. What is acrylic inks that you speak of? And how did you do that on your iphone??
p.p.s I don't know where you mentioned it but holy crap I too have the WORST 'all or nothing' mentality. I'll become almost deranged working on one thing and let everything else fall by the wayside – and then consequentially beat myself up for it! urgh! the pains of being crazy are never ending 😉
xx