You are trying to make your painting come alive but as you know you cannot just will this to happen.
You have a great design; your colors are what you want but there isn’t life in the painting.
It is now decision time…do you
- destroy the painting
- stop for the day and think about it
- or just sit down and observe the mess you have created
One of the first things that comes to mind is …if you were a “real artist” …this wouldn’t happen because “real artists” paint every day without this kind of struggle.
Real artists paint with ease and grace. The painting responds to their brush as the colors glide over the canvas with that touch of grit. Even the sound of their brush is magical.
You feel defeated, useless and you decide not to paint for the day as it “just isn’t working”. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
Don’t let this be you.
Why? because tomorrow will bring the same fear, the same defeated feeling and you are still facing the same painting that just rejected you.
When this happens to me I call in my inner lion. Confidence and trust in my ability to wrestle this painting to the ground. This is the teenage stage and I am going to win…come hell or high water.
I need to trust myself and I need to trust the painting.
Now is the time to quiet yourself, breathe and listen to that quiet, shy voice.
You see, you are doing great as you have played the scales of your craft, you have read the right books, gone to many shows, studied the Masters and now you are ready to paint in a way that says YOU.
I know of few artist who know what they are doing during the painting process. Wait, I hear you say…they must because they are masters at their craft. Yes, they are but they too have doubts, fears and the painting often rebels.
You are not alone.
The key is to listen to the painting.
Oh, come now, the painting doesn’t talk, does it? When you are one with your painting there is a connection that is like no other. Yes, the painting communicates but you must be open and eager to feel the needs of the painting.
Listen carefully.
Do you sometimes feel that “other artists…real artists” always know what they are doing? Share your thoughts below and join the conversation.
Create Brilliantly,
gwen