Getting My Hands Dirty

In preparation for attacking this big white canvas I had to clear the studio of all the digital printing I've been doing for days. Once again I lost track of how many of each I printed, and came up short by 22. Those are printing right now. The rest are in a safe place.

It's a good thing because my first step in painting one of the grid series is throwing paint. Yes, literally. My preferred background color has always been quinacridone gold, and I'm using the very last little bit of it on this painting. The color is not being made anymore, and my stash is depleted. Nothing else (including Nickel Azo) I've found has come close to the color and staining abilities. Ah well.

An important lesson I learned earlier this year is to cover myself with liquid gloves. Really does a good job in protecting my skin from the paint that inevitably makes it way to anything uncovered. Yes, I should cover my hair, but I don't. I do lay newspaper down on the floor though, and that helps a lot with drips....because after the paint throwing comes the spray bottle!

Then I use water soluble crayons to write on the canvas. Sometimes prayers, sometimes things about the painting itself, sometimes numbers, just whatever comes into my head. I always say my mantra at this point, and often it goes on the canvas, too.

I'm happy to be painting. I've spent too many hours at this computer doing mockups for hotel rooms, and all this digital printing that's still going on. At least I'm down to one printer now, which frees up the other one to print photography for Texas Clinic. I hate to jinx it by saying this out loud, but I think I'm on schedule to meet all foreseeable deadlines!

Back in the Real World

I've spent ten days away from TV, newspapers, clocks, internet (for the most part) and cell phones. Amazing!

Today I'm back in the saddle, firing up my computer, downloading and deleting a million emails, throwing away junk mail, and unpacking two heavy suitcases.

Traveling with both painting and photography supplies is very difficult, even with me shipping supplies to the workshop (and back home again).

I would recommend the Burridge workshop to anyone who has any fear of painting and failing. First of all, there is no such thing a failure in my belief system, but Bob is an advocate of getting some paint on the paper by any means. Really any means! He often paints with his fingers, or a paper towel (preferred brand: Viva). If he doesn't like the result, wipes it off, or paints over it. No fear! Very important lesson for a lot of painters, but not me.

Bob is a very positive guy, and proof that practice makes everyone a better painter. We painted all day every day and I have a lot of work to show for it. Of course it's all in the box I shipped home, and won't be here til late in the week.

I had a important revelation. Although I paint by commission, and admittedly produce more paintings that almost any artist (more than Bob even!), I didn't realize that I am painting with intention. I thought that I painted because I got the criteria from a client (which is true), but I also infuse each painting with a meaning that I acknowledge before the first brushstroke. That was an important lesson for me.

After each day of painting, Nancy and I would take our cameras out to explore the magnificent landscape of the area. Haven't even taken time to examine the shots yet, but based on past experience, out of 500 photos I'll have at least one really good shot. But it takes all 500. Again, I'll be setting up some time to delete delete delete.

The Power of Intention

Last weekend's photography workshop focused on all the basics you would expect, with the addition of some psychological and metaphysical elements. Something that's hot right now is "The Secret" which is nothing more than creating the life you want by (1) deciding what you want and (2) concentrating only on that, not about what you don't have. The power of intention.

I followed those steps some years ago when I went from a comfortable corporate salary and a job that made me crazy, to a self employed artist. Amazingly I made a good living the very first year, and it's just gotten better.

Why I am talking about this now is that in the past few days the subject keeps coming up for me. First last weekend, then something I saw on TV, then a conversation with someone I hardly know, then with a designer I just met, then last night with a dear friend.

All this leads me to believe that it's time for me to look at my own life, and evaluate yet again where I'm going and what I ultimately want for myself.

Things are changing and I want to be ready.