Trying out a new (to me) process of painting. Limited Strokes. The idea for this one was to get the painting done in 250 strokes of pastel.
I will admit to some faulty counting (the counting part is actually challenging to stay with) but all in all it worked.
How many times, I wonder, do I have to learn something I thought I already knew? Started a painting but realized, after I decided it was overworked and didn't like it anymore, that I had been following rules that I didn't have to follow. So I started fresh with the same reference, but without the rules. Much better!
What rules, you ask? Well first off the one that says I have to prove-to you-that I know what I'm doing. That one leads to other rules about formulas for value and color and how to apply pastel. Not that those rules aren't useful but when they jump ahead of the process-the doing-it's easy to lose the energy and soul of the painting. Here is painting #1 in case you're curious.
How often do you get caught up in proving yourself? How does it turn out?
I watched an Arcenio Martin Campos video of him painting with pastels. He called it Tom Foolery with Pastels and it was nearly breathtaking. It's so clear that he is feeling every stroke that he makes. There is a beauty in what he does that goes so beyond the finished painting...which, by the way, he keeps painting over!!! He goes from one figure to the next on the same substrate, eradicating the one underneath by putting a new one on top of it. Nothing short of amazing.
So in that vein I painted this still life with the idea of keeping every stroke fun and fresh. No fussing, no agonizing over details, no perfection! As soon as I would catch myself trying to belabor something into obedience, I'd stop myself. It was liberating!
Moral of the story: Life and painting are both better when you kick perfectionism to the curb.
So hard to know when something is finished. I read recently it's when whatever you do next won't improve the painting. Makes sense, but how do I know that? I'm not usually so confident in my work that I feel it couldn't be made better.
How do you know when to stop?
Here is the 2nd half of the 10 minute painting process with the finished product! I really like this system of working.
I discovered a new strategy that I've been using the last few paintings. Following the advice of Jen Evenhus https://www.uartpastelpaper.com/uart-tip-38/ I've been setting a timer for 10 minutes at the start of a painting. When the time goes off I stop, photograph and assess. Then I do it again and again...until I am done. I'm finding this simple little trick to be quite impactful. For one thing, if I only paint 10 mins at a time, it's much harder to ruin the whole painting. That in turn makes me less anxious to actually get into the studio and paint. Looking at the photos later is also helping me see my process more clearly.
Tried the same technique as the last painting but it didn't work so well this time. Overall it just doesn't pull together as a painting. It also got overworked and muddy in places. I have a few ideas about why but for now, rather than stop and analyze, I'm going to keep going. I need to trust the process.
Watched several videos today. Sometimes I watch them to avoid painting. I also did studio organizing and even the dishes. Luckily I have a practice and sooner or later I pick up the pastels. Thank goodness for this commitment to paint every day. I had so much fun with this painting.
I made some "black boards" to use for figure drawing. I simply painted a big piece of foam core with blackboard paint which you can get at the hardware store. I cut it in half to make it more manageable and voila, an erasable reusable surface to practice on.
So hard not to get caught up in the comparing game. It seems everyone is light years ahead of me in painting know-how and skills. I know what I want and I'm so not there yet. I do believe in practice (I do, I do), but sometimes it feels futile, like I'm just spinning my wheels never to arrive.
What are you doing?
Finished the apple peels. Not sure what I think. It was fun till I got fussy with it. Fussy usually means taking the work too seriously. A little fuss is fine...cleaning things up is noble, but a lot of fuss is drudgery and leads to an overworked painting.
Every once in a while I start a pastel that I consider biting off more than I can chew. In other words, a subject matter that I think will be challenging for some reason. Often times it's an out-of-the-ordinary reference. In this case it's apple peels (which, of course works well with the chew metaphor :) Here is the drawing and block in that I did today. Hopefully I will update it as I work on it.
What gets you out of a painting funk?
I am taking a new tac with this blog. I have a daily art practice but so often it is just me and my sketchbook or me and my pastels. There are so many of us artists out there all working in solitude. Our "good" work shows up on our instagram feed or our website but that stuff is only the tip of the iceberg.
What if we were to share our struggle, our messy and not very linear process, our frayed journey? I guess I'll find out.
What's your fear?
