Colour and comfort zones
“On a rainy day, colours begin to glow; that’s why a cloudy, rainy day is the kind I like best. That’s the kind of day when I can work.”
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
From the film Hundertwasser’s Regentag narrated by the artist (1971)
“Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for. The damned thing in the cave, that was so dreaded, has become the centre.”
Joseph Campbell
Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion (1991, ed. Diane K. Osbon).
This week I’ve been thinking about creative comfort zones and the small ways we can choose to step beyond them.
The known and the unknown
An interesting dilemma for an artist is the balance between comfort and growth, safety and discovery, the known and the unknown. Over the years, I’ve built a visual language with shapes, colour combinations and processes that now feel instinctive. Experience has shown me what I love, but I also recognise the importance of intentionally challenging myself to go and grow beyond that comfort zone.
Aiming for daring and inventive
I don’t always want to create art from a place of cosy comfort or just repeat what I know I can do. I want to be daring, inventive and adventurous in my art-making, too. So that means I often try to challenge myself to step away from what feels safe and comfortable.
On the other side of familiar
This week I’ve been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone with colour, experimenting with combinations that challenge my usual choices. Giving myself small creative problems I don’t yet know how to solve to help me to stay engaged and curious.
Seeing what’s on the other side of familiar. Seeking the treasure Joseph Campbell refers to. Working with new colours I don’t normally choose keeps my practice fresh and offers a little creative tension to wrestle through. Growth and discoveries often come from these moments of discomfort.
Two works in progress…
Creative discomfort
Introducing something new, or challenging or different and doing things in our art practice that we don’t usually do is energising. It is a little uncomfortable and a little exciting.
Creative discomfort can often lead to breakthroughs and discoveries, so sometimes it’s good to actively welcome it in, go do something you don’t usually do and see where it takes you…
Materials
The very large sketchbook I show in this video is A3 in size (a double page spread is A2). Ebony Hardback Sketchbook, Portrait Orientation, A3 Size by Daler Rowney
The paint I’m using is a mixture of Sennelier Abstract Acrylic and Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic paint
The paper I’m mostly using in this video is from Seawhite of Brighton size A1 300gsm cartridge paper torn into smaller sheets and also some old watercolour paper which I’ve had lying around for years, I am guessing it is from Fabriano and it is 350gsm
The brush you can see me using in this video is a silicon brush
Some of these links are affiliate links, if you buy something through them, I might earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only ever share the products that I actually use. 
