Letting the Work Inspire the Work
A clean break and an attitude adjustment
Over the last 6 weeks I’ve been working on a series of six 12” square paintings using a limited palette of blue and white. As sometimes happens, there were two outliers that were never going to work as part of this series.
They were both becoming so laboured and the good parts were becoming too precious to me, so much so, that I was painting around them, trying to preserve what was there. I felt immobilized by indecision and so avoided working on them altogether.
To be completely honest, I began to really dislike them.
This feeling is familiar. I’ve been here before. When this happens, it’s time for a clean break and an attitude adjustment, a new beginning.
The two reworked paintings, in progress.
A happy pair
Despite the many layers and hours already invested in these panels I began working on them anew. One of the nice things about being an artist is the freedom to adjust the parameters of the work whenever the mood strikes. No longer limiting myself to a palette of blue and white these two will become something else. They will no longer be part of the blue and white series but a pair that will stand happily together.
A willingness to be playful
Beginning again, large large swaths of thick Payne's grey and creamy white were laid down covering the whole surface. This move was still pretty close to the original concept, I know, but it was the clean break that was needed. Next a notched trowel was scraped through the wet paint. It felt so good and liberating that instead of lamenting the loss of what had come before and was covered up, a sense of freedom entered the work in front of me. That attitude adjustment, openness and a willingness to be playful was what was needed all along. Contemplating next moves on these two boards, I pulled out my sketchbook for inspiration.
Sketches leading the way
The work in my current sketchbook was born of the desire to develop a consistent sketchbook practice that would inform my larger work. In it, I use only materials that are readily on hand and with the aid of a timer, working time on each sketch is brief.
The process so far has been gratifying and has shown me a more intuitive approach to making. At the moment it’s my favourite part of my art practice. Even though the project is still underway, and I don’t know where it will lead me, I’ve adopted that way of working on these panels now. It’s the attitude that’s brought to the sketchbook practice that interests me, not any specific composition, mark or material that’s found there.
Now these two works in progress include looser marks, found and painted collage papers and a willingness to cover up, in large passages, what had been laid down before. The panels are starting to feel more like me and that feels good.
They are a bit of a dog’s breakfast at the moment but I can see potential in them. I’m also hopeful that they will be the beginning of a new way forward.
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