From Out of the Darkness...Lessons Learned from an Artist's Block

Red Wine and Grapes, oil 8 x 8, 2013 $100

Let me tell you a little story...
So, last night, well afternoon, 4pm - 10:30 I worked on a landscape painting, 16 x 20 in size, but after six hours ( took a little break around 8:30pm) I stepped back from my easel and... ugh... it was just a huge flop! 
I could hear my inner voice saying "it's not that bad" and "it's not your best work". 

Over time that voice has softened. I can remember just a few years back I would get so frustrated and discouraged. But now, hopefully just a little bit wiser, "flops" are just part of the process.

So what happens after 6 hours spent on a painting that you don't even want to show the dog? Drink lots of wine? No, just kidding.

I have learned that the next step isn't to try to paint the same painting over again. In fact, I'm more likely to make the identical mistakes. Instead, I seek advice, inspiration and/or more knowledge. This time I did all three.

One of my all time favorite websites is Dailypaintworks.com for inspiration. I love to peruse the "what's new" listings. This time I went to the Art Bytes Store (very clever name by the way) Short in length but packed with information the Art Byte store offer tutorials on so many topics for artists. 

Today I downloaded for free the tutorial on "Collective Insights on Blocks' - eight pages of different artists talking about the dreaded "Artist Block" and what to do about it. It was great! One "take away" was to do something fun... just for yourself. So I went downstairs pulled out my "grown-up coloring book" and started coloring with markers. What's that you ask? They are books printed with line drawings of graphic elements, like mandalas, to color in.

 Here's the link to Art Byte store.

Then I downloaded a Tutorial called "Fracturing and how to do it" by Julie Ford Oliver. Each time I see Julie's work I would say to myself "I love how she paints but I couldn't but my finger on the technique". It's called Fracturing.. I just love learning something new! So I watched the videos (4 all together) all the way through and then went back and tried the technique myself. I would play a section. Hit the pause button. Run downstairs paint a little. Run back upstairs for the next set of directions ( Yes, you are right, I should have brought my computer downstairs... but I couldn't waste the time... I was too excited to try something new!)

So out of the darkness of that dreaded Artist's block came something new, something different and to my surprise something quite interesting.

Please tell me what you think? 

And.... if you're interested in bidding on this painting it will be up for auction on 6/2/13...  click here to bid.
with much gratitude,
Linda

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