Here are some of the lessons:
*It's more important to paint frequently than to set aside days or weeks to paint.
Who really has hours a day to paint? Or do any beloved hobby? Most of us snatch moments in between work, fixing meals, cleaning house, and connecting with family. Daily life is not an obstacle but a vehicle for art. Our lives lend reality to painting.
If I put my paint brush down for weeks on end, my skills will degrade.
Keeping a small paint corner set up helps. Painting daily for 15-60 minutes keeps me sharp and focused.
If I can't paint, I sketch in a notepad or color. But as important as frequent painting is, knowing the motivation for putting color on canvas is crucial.
If I can't paint, I sketch in a notepad or color. But as important as frequent painting is, knowing the motivation for putting color on canvas is crucial.
(Notice the addition of rocks and shadows.)
*Find the Motivation
Painting is the best therapy for my busy, overwhelmed, creative mind.
I have a challenging job and a busy life full of family and friends. So many days, I don't even stop to breathe.
When I paint, I can breathe. The same is true of my other hobbies and loves--reading, cooking, travel. When I pick up a paintbrush, I'm envisioning myself in that landscape--breathing the air, swimming in the water. It makes a complete and total vacation for me--for the duration of the session!
Then when I hang the work at school or in the house, I just have to look at the picture to recall that small holiday. Those who buy my paintings get that same vacation feeling!
Painting is the best therapy for my busy, overwhelmed, creative mind.
I have a challenging job and a busy life full of family and friends. So many days, I don't even stop to breathe.
When I paint, I can breathe. The same is true of my other hobbies and loves--reading, cooking, travel. When I pick up a paintbrush, I'm envisioning myself in that landscape--breathing the air, swimming in the water. It makes a complete and total vacation for me--for the duration of the session!
Then when I hang the work at school or in the house, I just have to look at the picture to recall that small holiday. Those who buy my paintings get that same vacation feeling!
(partially done field of bluebonnets)
*When you paint, you must see.
Painting is all about seeing, and seeing beyond the canvas and the photos. Sight is different from vision. Just as reading is about imagining and inferring, painting infuses a scene with life. There's interpretation and emotion along with the images. Otherwise, you could just take photos and print them on canvas--ta daaaa! A short cut.
To really see, you need good light--literally! Daylight is best, but in daylight, there is usually a lot of wind or heat. I put a powerful lamp stand in my tiny studio so daylight is simulated when paint fever hits.
To see, I need to cultivate vision. I need to take some lessons from a master on this. How to compose? How to shade? What is it that makes one photo or landscape breathtakingly balanced, while a similar piece is just a little off?
I remember spotting a Van Gogh in a gallery full of exuberant expressionist art. It beckoned me. The strokes were small and obsessive, colors were bold, and the composition compelling. I knew what that small painting was from a great distance. At the same time, I know his story, and that he was seldom satisfied and rarely marketable. That brings me to my final point:
*Allow yourself to fail and to learn more every day.
Have fun and enjoy the learning curve.
To see, I need to cultivate vision. I need to take some lessons from a master on this. How to compose? How to shade? What is it that makes one photo or landscape breathtakingly balanced, while a similar piece is just a little off?
I remember spotting a Van Gogh in a gallery full of exuberant expressionist art. It beckoned me. The strokes were small and obsessive, colors were bold, and the composition compelling. I knew what that small painting was from a great distance. At the same time, I know his story, and that he was seldom satisfied and rarely marketable. That brings me to my final point:
*Allow yourself to fail and to learn more every day.
Have fun and enjoy the learning curve.
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