Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Getting back to work

So, what now? I've had the "Escaping" show opening and it's still hanging, managed to sell a couple and even had a photo in the paper. I took a bit of time to unwind and clean up... you would not believe the mess my studio was in. I got a cold that knocked me down for a bit, but some sleep and a couple days off took care of that. Then I decided to get back to work. But apparently, I wasn't ready for that. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, was working. I painted a canvas. I painted over it. And I painted over it again. I started another one, and then painted over that one. Everything looked awful. Kinda hard to take, after the last few months of having everything just flow. Well, I suppose that's how it goes... everyone has good and bad days, but too many bad ones in a row can really shake your confidence. I was beginning to wonder if that was it... maybe that was all I had in me, and now that it's done... well, I was done.

I've been down this road before. It's difficult. I usually just stop for a while, thinking it will get better. That hasn't worked for me. Last time I stopped it was nearly 2 years before I got back to it. So i've decided to persevere. Just keep going, and eventually, something will happen. This week I went back to an older photo that is very similar to one I've worked with before. The lines are simple and shapes clear, and I figured even if the painting ended up resembling the last one, I could live with that... as long as I didn't hate it.  Here's what I came up with:

"Syncopate"
Acrylic on Canvas, 16x20"
While it is similar to the other one, it has a different feel altogether. I make my colour choices intuitively and without any advance planning, depending on my mood. My choice of music also definitely makes a difference. For this one I was listening to James Carter, a recent discovery for me that I absolutely love. I've been listening to "Chasing the Gypsy" continually for the better part of the week.

I've started a couple other musician paintings, but I'm really feeling that this series is coming close to an end. Maybe it's time for me to move on, do some exploration and find the next thing.

And maybe I should start on that Sketchbook Project I signed up for in April. I got my book in the mail and put it on the shelf, and haven't looked at it since. This might be the perfect opportunity.

1 comment:

  1. I know how you feel. It bites when inspiration just doesn't come. Know that it is perfectly normal and something you have to work through. You most definitely have more to say with your art. Stick with it.

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