Search This Blog

Total Pageviews

Monday, February 10, 2014

Heavy vs uplifting, is there room for both? Why I think you can weave various moods and tones simultaneously while working on a series.

You read a big serious book, full of intense heady content, concentrating is key. You finish the book/novel/manifesto, and then give your mind a rest with an easy "beach read".
 Painting is like that too sometimes. I do these studies that are so involved that I am completely immersed, and hardly take time to breath. I'll work on something for days, hours that feel endless and fleeting at the same time (that's how you know that you're in "the zone").  When those paintings have been completed, I find myself somewhat mentally drained , and n need of recharging my creative mind.
   Enter the simple painting, something lighter, brighter, completely spontaneous and  simple. I might use these as a way to experiment with new materials and ideas. After all, there's no pressure to make a masterpiece, and usually, that's when it happens , a breakthrough style or technique. It pays to give yourself some slack sometimes, and the result may surprise you.

     

2 comments:

  1. These are awesome Sarah. I have been struggling with block lately. It's encouraging to hear that you feel that drain as well. I don't know what media to start in and sometimes don't even want to go in my studio. I know this will pass but it makes me crazy.
    I love the movement and flow. I'm just so curious about what media you find the most success in when you are doing a composition like this. Anyway, both are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I chose those two images because I felt they represented both ends of the spectrum of my work. These are watercolor on canvas, one of them has torn paper collaged onto it. So I guess my media of choice is mixed media with watercolor as the main ingredient, but usually on canvas or aquabord.

      Delete