"Mountain Meadow" - Pastel - 9x13 - 2014
Sometimes I get in a slump and just can't even make myself paint. I start and find I'm having trouble concentrating or I just don't feel inspired. Sound familiar?? I think we all get there at some point. What I have found that helps me to "revitalize my creativity" is a trip to the framer. For me that is also a great art teacher Ann Cockerill. I schedule a time to take some of my work that has been "hanging around" unfinished. Well I take that back - they are finished but I've put them on the shelf because I know there is just "something" that is not right. I schedule a lesson with Ann and have her critique my painting and then I might only add a one stroke or several spots of color or maybe just straighten a line. Then the painting feels more finished. I guess we artist are so self critical that nothing is ever really finished we just decide to stop. Once I stop, I select a frame and or mat and then walk away feeling "yes I can paint". Sounds crazy but it seems to work for me. These 4 paintings are examples of some old and some new. "Vienna Night" has sat in my stack for several years. I love it but knew the lines were off. I allowed myself to just make a few corrections and then release it. Since art is a reflection of time and place, this painting is very special because I remember the night in Vienna walking up this street. "Daffodil Morning" and "Mountain Meadow" were painting last year and I knew they needed something. After a few paint strokes on these today, I was ready to release them as well. I love "Mountain Meadow" which is of a field in Blue Ridge. The barn is a new painting. One day I just forced myself to paint this barn. I had spent hours on a photo shoot with a friend walking fields in Temple GA looking for abandoned barns. After I took the photos, it took months to get to the easel. Structures are tough and frequently take time with all the angles, etc. I decided to just do it free hand so to speak and actually like the first attempt but knew that some of the lines were wrong. Having Ann look at it and give a couple of suggestions helped complete the process. Now I feel like and artist again!
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