Is the answer in your next painting?
Sometimes a painting can feel like a trap. My morning will start off bright and full of hope. I march boldly into the studio and with a brush in hand, I attack.
“There are times when you simply have to work on the other painting because it’s becoming clearer and it illuminates the next step.” – Richard Diebenkorn
The painting starts off with electric energy and promise, and I’m thrilled by all of its potential. Then I run into a hiccup. The first seeds of doubt begin to creep in, I want desperately to save that energy.
And so… I begin to proceed with caution. And it’s over. I’m stuck being careful. Overworking, second-guessing, and dragging out the inevitability of this paintings mediocrity.
Still Life works in progress at Enclāve Studios.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! I’ve learned to turn preciousness back into promise. And the way to do that is to start another painting. And another. And another. Now, instead of being lost in a labyrinth, I’m the director of a beautiful symphony.
Do you have more than one easel? It’s a good idea. Or at least enough space to put several paintings out at once. This week, I’m working on eight. Bouncing between one and then another. I blocked each one in and then began working on them furiously. Giving myself 20 to 30 minutes at a time max, before I move onto the next.
Each painting helps to inform the others. They are all different, but they share a harmonic energy. Each has been executed on the same day with the same breath and the same mood not to mention the same palette. I’m not only creating several paintings, I’m creating a show. The paintings relate to each other. They begin sharing their insights and having a conversation with me.
If you haven’t tried working on several paintings at once, give it a whirl! It’s hard to feel trapped or even blocked when the answer may be sitting on the adjacent easel.
