One Painting, Many Stages (or Trust the Process)

I'm not usually the most patient person. I like quick results, especially when it comes to making art, and when I say quick I mean the piece is done at the end of one art-making session.

Um, really? Though sometimes I manage to do just that, it doesn't always work that way.

Allow me to indulge a little and offer you a glimpse into the making of one of my new favourite pieces...

~~~

One night I created a background with my brayer, a quick art-making session that resulted in this:

I saw a woman meditating in an urban oasis. I liked the colours and almost left it as it was, but I knew it wasn't finished so the next night I did this:

I kept the woman and meditation theme but ditched the urban feel in the background. The dark "eggplant" colour was a pure accident that left me frustrated. Interesting, yes, but certainly not finished.

Feeling stuck and tapping into my art mantra #2, Can't Be Too Precious, I spent the next day flipping the piece around on all sides to see if anything jumped out at me. Seeing it upside down triggered something:

 I saw abstract figures in a snowy landscape so I moved on to this...

... and finally to this:

The Gift, 9 1/2" x 12" acrylics on mat board

~~~

The moral of this story?

Don't be afraid to explore a piece from a different perspective. Trust the process, it usually knows where to take you.

In the Works: Solstice Reflections, Art and an Online Shop

I've been playing with a few creative projects these past few weeks. Here's a glimpse of a few things I  have in the works...

Solstice Reflections 2011

The Winter Solstice holds a special place in my heart. In 2008 I created a space for my personal reflections leading up to December 21st; last year I curated a Winter Solstice group art exhibit right here in Ottawa featuring five local artists.

This year I decided to take it online and offer you a gathering of reflections from a group of lovely women on the spirit of winter and the migration from darkness to light. It starts here December 1st.

Come join us?

AEDM Day 17: purple girl, a work in progress, 16"x16" on canvas

Art, art, and more art

Oh how I'm loving Art Every Day Month. I've been painting up a storm, learning, practicing, taking creative risks and struggling working through the process.

I've come to accept that there may be more pieces in progress at the end of the month than there will be finished ones, but that's OK. So far the process and some of the interim results have been reward enough.

 a selection of prints will soon be available online

An online shop

I'm also hatching an online shop for my artwork! I'll most likely start with some prints and work my way to originals. I'm still firming up the where & how, but it's coming along. Stay tuned.

It's been an expansion-filled few weeks. I am grateful.

Re-filling the Creative Well

We feel sluggish, uninterested and uninspired in our art and don't know why. We push on, but nothing we do really speaks to us.

It's time to get out and be fed.

Julia Cameron calls it the Artist Date, I call it re-filling the creative well and you may call it something else, but it essentially means the same thing: seeking inspiration so we can continue doing what we do.

We know it's important, but how many of us do it?

"An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child."

~ Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

In The Artist's Way, Ms Cameron advocates two tools to foster creativity: daily Morning Pages (stay tuned for a future post on this one someday) and the weekly Artist Date. Through morning pages we communicate creative dreams out to the Universe, through Artist Dates we receive insights and inspiration.

I totally dig that.

After nine days of pretty intense art-making and what felt like endlessly tweaking a piece in progress I craved a change of scenery and remembered Ms Cameron's words, so I a) put the piece I was tweaking aside for a few days and b) decided that it was time to get out and take in some inspiration - see what insights the Universe had to offer.

results of an invigorating artist date (parking ticket not included in the picture)

After a few hours spent at the library, a favourite thrift shop and a frou-frou funky clothing boutique my creative well overfloweth. Armed with books on artists and creative spaces, borrowed movies and some new crafting supplies I am giddy and ready to roll!

Do not underestimate the power of an Artist Date whether it's an afternoon spent lingering on the town or fifteen minutes stolen during a lunch break. After today's few hours I'm a believer.

Re-filling the creative well helps keep art-making sustainable. Period.

~~~

What five things could you do to re-fill the creative well?

Art Every Day Month - Initial Results + My Biggest Challenge

I LOVE this make art everyday thing! After only six days I feel like I'm already learning so much just by painting regularly and allowing myself to try different things.

One of my biggest challenges going in will be to finish pieces and not end up with 30 works in progress at the end of the month. Wanting to produce more completed works is one of the reasons I signed up for this in the first place.

Until I do, please permit me to share with you a few pieces in various stages of completion (but none quite done yet - I think)...

AEDM Day 5: Sitting, work in progress, 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" on mat board

AEDM Day 6 (building on Day 3): man on black, work in progress

12"x4" on mat board

AEDM Day 6: collage in progress, 8"x8" on canvas

I love the variety that's coming out depending on the day, the mood and the energy available at the table. So far it's been a lot of fun.

Going back to one of my original goals though, I do hope to finish some of these within the month. Stay tuned...

~~~

Have you joined yet? It's not too late!

Art Every Day Month

AEDM Day 2, work in progress, 12"x16" on canvas

I was contemplating a kick-in-the-butt 5-Day Challenge to get me painting again, but then I stumbled upon Leah Piken Kolidas' Art Every Day Month (AEDM) and the angels trumpeteth. It's a 5-Day Challenge times 6 - just what this girl needs!

Inspired by NaNoWriMo, Leah started AEDM nine years ago. From the AEDM Website:

"I keep the rules for AEDM really simple and very loose. I encourage people to make something every day, but my goal is to foster more creativity, so if you make just one piece of art per week or just one for the whole month, that's fine with me. The idea is to bring more creativity into your life, not to make you feel overwhelmed, pressured or guilt-stricken."

How could I say no to that? And why paint for five days when I can paint for 30?

After resisting and doubting myself an appropriate amount of time I signed up.

AEDM Day 3, black background waiting for a foreground

12"x4" on mat board

What this means for YOU is that you might see the odd report on my results here on the blog. Accountability is key! I may not post daily - or maybe I will, or maybe I'll go the weekly summary route. I'll see what feels right.

Accountability aside, what it means for you, me, and everyone is more art-making. That's the whole point.

~~~

Now, what about you? Is there anything artful you'd like to practice this month? Remember the rules are simple and loose; no perfection necessary. It's not too late to join in the fun!

You know you wanna...