In past posts, I wrote about how my influences are coming out in my sketchbooks. I’ve been working on turning some of those drawings into paintings. Painting doesn’t come naturally to me. It’s one off those areas of my art practice where taking a real art class might come in handy, but I honestly prefer to learn as I go. So, what am I learning?
Lesson 1:The sketchbook drawings have been giving me a better place to start when planning whatever I’m painting, especially in terms of colour. Planning, in general, seems like a good skill to master. Allowing myself to slow down and work through how I’ll tackle things creates space for creative decision making. It’s a little easier when I’m not always shooting from the hip. I can relax into what I’m doing and break it down, without worrying so much about what I’m aiming for.
Lesson 2: I’ve noticed that spending more time with my source material provides little glimpses of how people have solved similar problems. For instance, a fold of a robe in a Medieval painting of Mary caught my eye. I started to see how it was done. Even if I can’t duplicate that, I can at least see how I might approach draped fabric in my own work. These small lessons are invaluable.
The results of recent acrylic experiments like this one are encouraging. I’m starting to see some new directions in my painting, and that’s really exciting!
