Tuning into our own wisdom…
In this video I chat through some personal thoughts about the art making process... The things I’d like to remember for myself and which I thought may be useful to also share with you.
I’ve just finished five new paintings. I just love how they turned out, but there were some ups and downs along the way… a little wrangling and a few days of challenge. I find the journey of a painting is not always smooth…
Risk and reward
I had a few days in the studio with all of these paintings where I didn’t love what was happening… I thought that perhaps they would never become finished paintings, sometimes that just happens.
If I am wrestling with a painting I often find that adding something completely different, unexpected, something bold, something uncontrolled helps me to get out of a rut. `Sometimes I need to shake things up,
Introducing a little risk can lead to reward. Perhaps a huge sweep of colour or completely painting over sections… I applied this idea to all of these five paintings. At a certain point in each painting I did something bold and unpredictable…I completely changed the colour palette I was using, I painted right over a whole painting, I applied paint in thick uncontrolled daubs and as soon as I took a bold step, I began to see possibility and began to fall in love with them again.
The grit makes the pearl
I dont really want the painting process to always feel easy and simple. I actually relish the challenge of working through the the difficult days, it is part of what I love about being an artist. I appreciate the problem solving...and try and remember that it is the grit in the oyster that makes the pearl…
Capturing wisdom
After I finish a series of paintings, I try to take a moment to reflect on the process, to take stock, to think through what I did, how I did it and what it felt like. To ask myself a few simple questions as a way to better understand myself as an an artist, as a way to clarify my thoughts and to access my own wisdom.
Learning to tap into and trust our own wisdom is so important as artists. This kind of exercise helps to strengthen that muscle. Here are the type of questions I ask myself incase you’d like to do the same:
What did I learn?
What worked?
What do I want to remember?
What did I enjoy?
What are my observations on the process?
What advice do I want to give myself?
What must I remember for next time?
This painting is called The Wisdom Tree and is painted in acrylic paint on a cradled birch wood panel. It is made by building up collage, layer after layer of paint, richness, texture, colour and pattern.
I wanted to build up a complex and rich paint surface and for each painting to have a hidden history which occasionally reveals itself. The painting has small areas of gold paint which catch the light.
The paintings have a richly textured, painted surface…. alluding to hidden depths and buried mysteries.
As the paintings started to come together I thought of the majesty and magic of ancient wise trees, strong, bold, reassuring and full of profound wisdom.
The wood panel is hand prepared with light coats of primer and then after the painting is complete I finished the painting with satin UV varnish and a light coat of wax to enhance the lustre and richness.
The paintings are signed on the back and come with a chord so are ready to hang or frame depending on personal preference.
50cm x 50 cm x 2cm (19.7 inches x 19.7 inches)
Textured and rich surface
Ready to hang
Signed on the back