My best art is out of my control
My best art is out of my control
I've been working on learning the fine art of letting go of control in my art making process. Fun things show up when I do this!
Hello my friends and readers, this week’s post is about letting go in order to find the magic in a painting.
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Thank you for showing up, for reading and listening, and for the lovely feedback.
Love, Kris
My best art is out of my control
Letting go of control in my art is part of my practice.
Though this is true to a great degree, I realize that it’s possible to let go of the control I used to think I needed while making a painting, because I practice, experiment, and play. Rather than getting stuck in overthinking, I find myself reaching for choices that help me let go of control more successfully. I've learned to communicate with the painting as I work on it, and I’m having more fun as a result.
It does help that I know how to use my materials, and I educate myself on how to work with acrylic paints and mediums. As a color loving person, I’ve learned to narrow down my color palette, rather than trying to cram all the colors into a painting. I’m more specific and clear about which colors are working for me today.
I’ve got several sketchbooks filled with color swatches I’ve mixed. It’s so fun to make color charts! I’ve enjoyed using this tool for many years, and it’s often helped me find my way out of a color choice dilemma in a painting. Sometimes I challenge myself to mix colors I normally don’t use, and those experiments often bring up inspiration for new color palettes for a painting.
Working in my paint journals is another part of this practice, one that usually begins a painting session. I always have my paint journals standing by, and sometimes make videos of them that you can watch on my YouTube channel. This is one of my favorite art practices ever, and really makes it much easier to let go and be free when I’m working on a canvas or wood panel.
I have made completed paintings that started off as simply playing in my painting journal. With no preconceived outcome in mind, I’ll start a piece, and just start layering, listening to it as I go. What am I feeling here, what does my knowing want to add or subtract? This has helped me let go of what’s not working in order to allow the magic to appear.
As an abstract painter, I’m interested in the energy of a painting. I want to find the emotion, the movement, and the spirit. If I’m trying to control every outcome, those things won’t show up for me. I’ll be bored with my work, it just won’t have a spark to it.
The irony in all of this is that the more experience, knowledge, and practice I have, the more effortless a painting can appear. Being an artist who chooses to work this way is helping me become better at doing this in everyday life too. How fun is that?
Inspiration for playing and letting go of control
I love this show! ‘We Are Lady Parts’ has been around for a few seasons now, but I just started watching it this past week. What a treat! Highly recommended.
Ruth Gordon has always been a favorite of mine. I love this quote, it’s a beautiful reminder.
"I don't know why this gets people agitated, but you've gotta seduce life. You've got to invite it to come to you and work with you. If you're angry and critical, who wants to come to you? Dogs don't. Children don't. Smart people don't. Neither does chance. Chance just sees an asshole and runs away. Do I give a damn if people think I'm phony or forcing it? I mean, come on. Go out and get started early. Get the good air in the morning. Once you start looking at life and people in a good way, they turn out that way. Is that a philosophy? I don't know. I know it works."--Ruth Gordon/Interview with James Grissom/1984
Photograph of Ruth Gordon, from 1975, on the streets of New York, by Matthew Muise.
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful creative week. Love, Kris
Ruth Gordon makes my heart smile! I love how she was defiantly optimistic. My therapist told me the way we break out of the victim-persecutor-hero drama is to become the creator. She seemed to be a joyous co-creator in all levels of her life.