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| This is my favorite painting that I’ve made. |
Play is important. Like REALLY important! I’ve forgotten that lately. In my push to improve my work, get more work, and life in general, I’ve let go of play. I think it shows up in my work. I keep thinking about all the preliminary play Melissa Sweet does in the beginning of her projects. I want some of that in my life.
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| Work in progress. |
So with that in mind, I pulled out some old canvases that weren’t working and just started gluing on different papers, smearing paint around. When I paint for fun, I don’t worry about what the end result will be, I just start playing. The hardest part is making that next mark, unsure if it will make or break the painting. I have to remind myself that this is just for fun and if I hate it, I’ll just cover it all over. I have a few canvases with a lot of layers that didn’t work under a painting that really works. I think all of those layers make the final piece just work even though you can’t see most of them. Painting like this requires a bit of bravery and a lot of letting go. I make a lot of bad paintings. It just doesn’t matter. Every once in awhile I fall in love with one of them and the process keeps me sane.
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| I’ve repainted this canvas several times. |
Go out and paint! Here’s some books that’ll get you started:Brave Intuitive Painting by Flora Bowley Painted Pages by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare Daring Adventures in Paint by Mati RoseMcDonough Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts
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| Not sure about this one yet, but it’s growing on me. |
