The Process Continues

 Well here is my latest venture into documenting my artistic process.  I still struggle photographing all of the steps, which is especially visible at the end when I suddenly flipped a switch and decided I hated what I painted, leading me to completely revamping the canvas in one fell swoop. 

Eventually I arrived at my newest piece that I've appropriately titled "Reverse Faults" and it was my first time working on a 36 x 36 canvas. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this size at first or how I could express what I was feeling, other than pure frustration (which is definitely visible at times). That being said, I also like the idea of challenging myself and switching up sizes. You know, getting outside of that comfort zone, which is something we all love to do.

​Sometimes I'll just sit on the ground and stare until inspiration strikes. It could take minutes or hours (perhaps a few days) until I feel a need throw on some acrylic, but that's okay. It's important to acknowledge this time because I don't like the idea of inspiration being forced. I'm all about natural and organic  artistry. 

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It all starts with very random distributions of paint.

Testing out the space and trying to figure out where I want to go...

 As you can see, I'm obviously questioning what direction to even go in at this point. I only knew that I wanted to focus on cool colours and have white areas breaking through. I'm really fond of this concept of breaking through. There are so many visible and invisible barriers that we are constantly on the cusp of overcoming in our daily lives, yet we (maybe just me) feel held back by some intangible force that doesn't want us to breakthrough. What it is exactly that we're trying to get to is subjective, but we're all on that journey together. 

Trying to find my rhythm at this point but not feeling fully committed to my composition.

I'm liking the colour palette at this point, but am feeling kind of bored with how cohesive it all is.

I think that I changed my direction because I wanted some more colour. I was feeling a little more inspired by the spring weather and the longer day light hours during this process, so I didn't want to feel trapped in my dark moody winter headspace. Orange and gold are now my go-to colours when I need an immediate emotional pick me up. They bring clarity to what it is I'm trying to articulate and instigate that aha! moment. 

I tried to initially work in some yellow but it felt forced and it didn't convey what I imagined it would. That happens! At least I tried. Then I flipped the painting on its side and starting finger painting with all the colours of the wind - I was basically Pocahontas until I flipped the canvas again and suddenly had an urge to erase the entire thing. 

Reverse Faults - 2017 - 36 x 36 inch acrylic on canvas

This is what happens when I decide I hate something so much that I just need to completely eradicate everything that came before it (for the most part). What I love about reaching this point though is that I know my canvas, and myself, have gone through this unique journey together and bits of the past are peeking through the top layers. That's the beauty of the process. You can't completely erase what came before, but you can modify and build. Each layer is a stepping stone towards the final product and I can't undervalue that time spent on it. No time was wasted, maybe some paint, but it all adds up. I'm happy with the outcome and feel very inspired by the results of this particular process.