In the last ten days I have decided to quit painting at least four times. The paint isn't flowing, the drawings aren't working, color relationships are off, values are in the middle range....it all just seems clunky.
Most painters I talk to have periods like this one. After years of these attacks of 'quitting for good' I've come to realize, however rotten I feel, that it's just part of the process. Maybe tomorrow it will all be different and the brush will be a friend....maybe it won't.
Stay tuned. I feel a breakthrough coming on....
(This demo painting is from some months ago....just to put something on the blog.)
I always think of it (at least in retrospect) as a fallow time. "To plow, harrow, and break up, as land, without seeding, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow; as, it is profitable to fallow cold, strong, clayey land." Webster Online.
ReplyDeleteHmm ... quitting 4x in the last 10 days. I do think I see a pattern of a "stormy perspective". My latest personal insight on "being human" has been one of realizing that, as humans ... we all go through all "types of weather", just like the earth does. Sometimes it's sunny, sometimes "partly cloudy" and sometimes the storms come in. But fortunately, our moods, just like the weather will pass and the sun will shine again. Love your art, your talent and your kind spirit. Don't worry, you are "just human". These thoughts apply to me this week too! Damn! Being "human" is always interesting and challenging! But worth the journey!
ReplyDeleteI keep checking back to see if you have returned to painting. When you do, i will enjoy seeing what you have created.
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