As I looked at this painting at various stages I realized I thought it was precious. That is a wonderful thing when talking about time with my kids, date night with the hubby, or a girls night out my friends. Those types of things are precious. My painting is not nor should it be!
It sat at this point for a while. I didn’t like it much and had no real spark with it.
Since it wasn’t precious I had no problem smearing paints around and making various random marks.
This is when the trouble started. I started to really like parts of it and it was becoming precious to me. My ideas dried up. I felt frozen for fear of “ruining” it. Thinking it is precious was in my way so I decided to try something big on it…Nothing happened. Frozen. Trying to think of something big or perfect just left me frozen.
So I thought small. I grabbed a black paint pen. Only I was too stiff, too in my head. So I went left handed and closed my eyes and started drawing. The most important part is that it got me interacting with the painting instead of just looking at it.
When I opened my eyes, I thought, “boy this is ugly with all these black lines” which is a good thing for me I am learning because now I was willing to take a risk and try something on it. I smeared paint on with my fingers, used a brush to make shapes and lines, and began to cover up some areas and leave parts peeking out.
So here is where my work in progress is at for now. I added a bit of drippy paint, a few dots, and more paint. I am liking where it is going and just parts are feeling precious. Before I am finished with this I imagine it will have some more ugly phases and more precious phases. Don’t know where it will end up but I will just trust my muse…
If you have a moment stop by and visit the encouraging and creative artists at Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day!
Layers of intuition will get you there, am enjoying hearing about your process. Trust, that’s what I try and rely on. xox Happy Friday
Carolyn, it is amazing what we can do when we let it all out, not fearing the results. Some of your versions I like better than others, but the final one should be the ONE. It is where you should stop. I like it best.
Love your use of color and for some reason I get a feeling of a neighborhood in the city from it. Whatever, thanks for sharing the process.
Looks very and fun and relaxed. Have you taken classes from Flora Bowley?
Have fun!
I have! She is an amazing teacher!
Sometimes the best Art comes from our mistakes and free flow painting. It’s looking good.
I like how you always analyze what you are creating, and offer words of wisdom to yourself and anyone/everyone who will listen. I’ve been where you are: frozen and unwilling to plow ahead. And the backgrounds sit on a shelf waiting for inspiration or that “perfect” foreground. Thanks for the “lesson.”
I forgot to ask. May I add your blog to my left sidebar?
Of course you may! Honored that you want to do that!
I should have warned you my e-mail is not working. I even took it off my blog so no one would try to use it. But, all worked out well, none-the-less!
Wonderful colours and background and its good to hear you are enjoying the adventure. Happy PPF, Annette x
Thanks for sharing the process with us!! I love the layers so far.
Its like a tapestry of layers. I think the more layers and stories that each tell makes it so much better. Keep layering and you will find that you will know when it is complete. Happy PPF
Carolyn just keep following your heart, it’s looking great, just have fun, feel light and enjoy! I know exactly your feelings, and sometimes I just say to myself this one is meant to be messed up and it starts looking messy and like you that’s when I relax and start enjoying the process as I loosen up and just get pure pleasure from creating. Thanks so much for sharing this with us, your piece is flowing with creative energy, soft and dreamy!
such great pages, love your coloring and happy PPF
Love all the pics! It’s fun to see what it was and what it is now. Lovely! I could see it my daughters room. It’s a very energetic piece, well done!
I love seeing in progress photos. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
gorgeous… lush colour and lots of texture means too precious or not, I am loving where this is going… way cool…xx
Colors are delightful and am sure after you let it ‘sit’ ~ it will become gorgeous~thanks, namaste, ^_^
love hearing about your creative process. the colors are beautiful. can’t wait to see where it goes.
I love where this has gone. It seems to have grown teeth, which is a good thing.
Rinda
I love the phases this painting has gone through. Just like real life!
Layers and layers of your soul now make up this painting. The more you add, the more your soul becomes one with the canvas. Great job. Love all the colors. Happy PPF!
I really enjoyed seeing the stages this piece went through. it is lovely in it’s pastel colors and movement, feels a lot like joy to me.
I am really liking this–it makes me want to go play. Thanks for sharing the different stages, too…that’s always so interesting. Happy Weekend to you, Carolyn 🙂
This type of painting is sooooo much fun, and yours is looking wonderful!
What fun and the end result is exciting and explosively wonderful! HPPF!!!
AMAZING…I LOVE IT!
It’s beautiful…and most definitely precious! I enjoyed reading about your process and how this work of art came to be! Can’t wait to see what comes next 🙂
Carolyn, this is a delight to the eyes and so interesting to see your process, can’t wait to see what develops, it’s already totally wonderful.
Big love
AJ
you know it looks beautiful to me as it is! Seriously.
It’s always great to see the evolution of a piece of art, especially when the artist wasn’t happy with it at first, and then wrangled it into something they are proud of. Gives me inspiration to keep working on a piece rather than toss it on the recycle heap.
Wonderful! Wonderful! Thank you for the journey you’ve shared with us! I love seeing the progress and how it’s reached where it is. I’m intrigued by Flora Bowley’s class and have bought her book.
I love the way it looks now!
How brave and inspiring of you to go over layers with a black paint pen, left-handed and eyes closed!! Love it!
♥♥♥
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art
Carolyn! This came out wonderful and it has a lot of energy.
Love seeing your ‘precious’ process..and how your painting evolves and grows. Very inspiring!
I understand the “I like it so much at this stage” feeling. I do admire multilayered work but I don´t want to “loose” the previous image. Taking photographs sounds like a great idea. I can always print it back. 🙂
It’s so interesting to see your process with this painting. I agree that becoming too attached to “precious” elements can turn into stumbling blocks along the way. Your colors are looking so beautiful in this piece so far. I’ll be excited to see how it ends up.
WOW! I LOVE IT! And then I looked down and was treated to the wip’s – I love seeing your process (and you are wonderful about sharing it) and I really like where this is as it stands now. You had me at the drippy paint! xoxo
I love how this turned out! amazing:)
Those ugly phases seem to happen to me all the time and I want to throw up my hands in frustration. I frequently forget that there are options past the ugly. It’s somehow so comforting to see that others struggle with this phase as well 🙂 Though I have to say, I’m really liking your direction and the play of colors!
I hear ya! I find the only way to get over preciousness is to work on a few pics at the same time. Love your colours and line – great work x
So interesting to read your thoughts on the progress of this painting, and see the different stages. No I really want to know how you went/will go on with it! I also know this fear of ruining a painting. But I really like the stages you went through, and the colours are gorgeous!
Thank you so much for this post! It really hit home – I know exactly what you mean about too precious! I get to that point to – I din’t want to “ruin” it. Thanks for your far discussion – hopefully it will move some of the block away!