Acrylic on Archival Gessobord (cropped from original 16x20" commission)
Glad to be back in the studio after a week long hiatus. I took my 86-year-old mother to her 65th college reunion. Two of her three roommates were there and I can't even describe to you the joy they expressed in seeing each other after all of these years. Suffice it to say, I teared up. I wondered who these three women were back in the mid-forties. What did their world feel like as as they studied to become teachers and librarians as WWII ended? Sweet stories and lots of laughs filled the room.
I am finishing up on a commissioned piece and you are looking at a cropped area from that painting. I am struck again by the process of creating an abstract painting. It is definitely a puzzle to be solved. There are moments where I feel like I am butting up against a wall. It usually helps to walk away from it for a few days so that I can see it with fresh eyes. Oftentimes the answer will come to me when I look at it later. I also took pictures of it so that while I was away I could stare at it once in awhile and work on the next steps in my head. I've heard that studying right before you go to bed is a good idea, because your brain continues to work on it. So, I throw that in for good measure, looking at my painting right before bedtime with instructions to come up with a visual answer. There is some trust involved here, that my mind will be able to figure it out. I try not to panic as the deadline looms. Panic never helps. Anxiety never helps. I lean into trusting the skills I've learned, the instincts I have regarding color choices, movement and meaning. It seems to be working. New 12x12" paintings on the horizon! Coming soon!
I am finishing up on a commissioned piece and you are looking at a cropped area from that painting. I am struck again by the process of creating an abstract painting. It is definitely a puzzle to be solved. There are moments where I feel like I am butting up against a wall. It usually helps to walk away from it for a few days so that I can see it with fresh eyes. Oftentimes the answer will come to me when I look at it later. I also took pictures of it so that while I was away I could stare at it once in awhile and work on the next steps in my head. I've heard that studying right before you go to bed is a good idea, because your brain continues to work on it. So, I throw that in for good measure, looking at my painting right before bedtime with instructions to come up with a visual answer. There is some trust involved here, that my mind will be able to figure it out. I try not to panic as the deadline looms. Panic never helps. Anxiety never helps. I lean into trusting the skills I've learned, the instincts I have regarding color choices, movement and meaning. It seems to be working. New 12x12" paintings on the horizon! Coming soon!