5-Day Painting Challenge: Day 3

I had less than an hour to play yesterday, so I shooed poor bro-in-law from my studio after work (sorry N.!) and got to it before leaving for the evening. Luckily I prepped two extra surfaces the night before so I could get started right away.

(Mental note: Prepping surfaces ahead of time makes it much easier to go to the table. It's one less obstacle between me and the paint.)

I spotted this magnet on my whiteboard in the morning and figured it was time to try my hand at a Frida Kahlo piece. I had a perfect piece of cardboard with a black background ready to go.

Frida magnet, 1x1

Here's where I got:

Frida, 7 1/2 x ~9 1/2 on cardboard

You can see ripples where I used a lot of water on my brush. Next time I use cardboard I may try sealing it with a layer of matte gel medium before painting to see if it makes a difference. But I don't mind the dappled look.

It's obviously not finished, but I like where it's going. Of course the face is the toughest part, but I'm determined to get 'er done. Maybe today's session - or not.

Up next, Day 4.

5-Day Painting Challenge: Day 2

"Don't worry about your skills or techniques or how much you know about art - just get into making something."

~ Dean Nimmer, Art From Intuition

Following through with my promise of public accountability, here are my results from Day 2:

orange splash - work in progress (but almost done!), 8x8 on wood panel

I started with a black background and played with reds, magentas and a bright Cadmium Orange. You can't see it much on the picture, but I love how the grain of the wood shows through. And wood is so much fun to scratch up! I foresee maybe one more orange scribble to finish it off.

Next up, Day 3...

Art-making Mantra #1: Go to the Table + An Invitation

Last month I gave you Art-making Mantra #2 (Can't Be Too Precious!), today I present to you the one  that came before.

These past few weeks I wanted to paint, but resisted in a really BIG way.

When I mentioned my painting woes on Facebook a friend of mine responded "I hear either fear or expectations. Enter them or set them aside. Move forward." He was bang on. (Thank you SZ!)

Time to pull out Art-making Mantra #1: Go to the Table.

Dancer II - work in progress, 8x16 on canvas

a product of going back to the table

The harder I resist painting the more I need to get my butt to my art table and play with paints. "Just go to the table" I tell myself.

The dancer pictured above is a result of yesterday's push to move forward. I had no clue she was going to come out, I started with gobs of green paint on a blank canvas and went from there. I started.

An invitation

In the spirit of building on yesterday's momentum I intend to go to the art table every day this week, Monday to Friday, five days in a row. I've done it before using five pieces of cardboard (cardboard is a trick I use to take away the intimidation factor), I can do it again. I'll report on it here to keep me accountable - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Here's today's result:

Dancer III - work in progress, 12x12 on canvas board

the scale and legs look weird, but I like the skirt and her right arm so I'll work with those

No expectations. Just presence, practice and play.

It doesn't matter if your table is covered in paints, polaroids or paragraphs, the mantra isn't media-dependent. The important thing is to start whatever you're resisting.

Care to join me in my five-day challenge? It's always more fun with company.

Art-making Mantra #2: Can't Be Too Precious

I spent some time at the art table yesterday and have a few new pieces in the works:

work in progress #1 (10x10 on canvas)

working title: raining hearts

It's an ongoing challenge for me to leave a piece unfinished at the end of a painting session and pick it back up again. Afraid of ruining a good thing, works in progress tend to stay shelved for months before they see the light again. Especially if I like what I have.

work in progress #2 (12x12 on cardboard)

I like the movement in this one, but I'm not sure where to go with it. Irony?

Enter Stephanie's art-making mantra #2: Can't be too precious.

(I credit my abstract painting teacher Beulah McLellan for this one!)

I can't let an unfinished piece become so precious that I won't touch it for fear of losing what I have. I mean, if it's unfinished I have to do something right? It's a matter of trusting the process (art-making mantra #3 perhaps?).

So today I will trust, pick up my two pieces and see what comes.

Wish me luck!