GETTING UNSTUCK

VISIONS OF HOME - 16 X 20 MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS

In every artist’s dream, creative ideas flow freely from the soul to the canvas. In reality, what looks brilliant in my head doesn’t always turn out great on the canvas. I don’t usually have a problem with messes, At heart, I am a big-picture, right-brain creature. I am happiest when I work intuitively; but sometimes, I can get caught in a trap of trying to follow my mind’s advice instead of following the voice from another place. That is when things go south!

That is when I get stuck.

HOW DO I GET UNSTUCK?

One of the most radical ways to get unstuck completely eliminates any opportunity to get stuck. Here goes:

I place a canvas on my easel, and quickly, intuitively choose three colours that resonate at that moment. No thinking allowed. I add black and white to my palette.

I pick up a big, wide brush (about 2 inches), stand in front of the easel, and close my eyes. Yep, I close my eyes.

Then, I dip my brush into the paint and swipe the paint across the canvas without looking at it. I only open my eyes to aim the brush into the paint. It’s a big brush, so maybe it picks up more than one colour. No problem. I continue to do this until the canvas is covered.

Once the canvas is covered in paint, I stand back and see what emerges: lines, marks, colours, patterns. I decide where to go from here. Doing this helps me loosen up, open to possibilities, and paint from within.

Doing this created VISIONS OF HOME, the painting featured here.