Tempest

'Tempest'

8" x 10" watercolor on watercolor board

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Lately I've been feeling just on the verge of an artistic block (don't even get me started on my writer's block which I've been suffering from for the last ten months. Argh. Double argh.). Which always makes me anxious. I don't know what's worse the actual artistic block, or the fear of an approaching block.

So, with the help of my Facebook buddies and the DPW weekly challenge (paint a sky), I decided to do something totally different that I've been wanting to do for a long time. A drippy, wet into wet, watercolor sky painting. And I did this with no drawing which is a first for me. :) I get a little panicky if I don't have an exact plan mapped out ahead of time. Which is great for accuracy, but at times feels a little stifling.

I'm really happy with how this painting turned out, and I feel so excited to paint again. I think I want to paint lots more skies from now on. It was so much fun.

Now my faithful blog family, what do you do when you start to feel blocked? Any advice?

Thanks for stopping by everyvbody, I hope you are all having a rockin' good Monday. :)

Hugs,

Crystal

listening to: Passion Pit 
watching: BBC's Sherlock (which is AWESOME)
reading: The Carrier of the Mark
snacking on: mini peppermint patties

One Year Old. . . And Fear, my Arch Nemesis

"One Year Old'

10" x 10" acrylic on canvas

Here's my sweet middle child again when he was just a year old. I've been diving through older photos lately, searching for fresh material to paint and came across this one. I just can't get over those full cheeks and that awe struck expression. It brought back so many memories of when he was this age and how it felt to hold him warm and cuddly on my lap, his head resting against my shoulder and chubby arms wrapped around my neck. One of the best times of my life. :)

And this portrait was so much fun. Switching from my preferred medium to something else is one sure fire way to beat artist's block for me. Painting with acrylics is a totally different experience than painting with watercolors. It feels more therapeutic to me right now, the buttery feeling of the paint on the canvas is just awesome.

Fear.

Oh, how I loathe thee.

You sneak up on me when I least expect it.

A spider cutting across the floor right after I've mopped it. You're cruel too, see?

Using all that sneakiness and cruelty, made me a little bit blind to your tricks. I'm not ashamed to admit that it took me longer this time to see you for what you really are.

You were the reason I had a nasty case of artist's block.

You were the whisper in my ear every time I sat down to paint. Telling me that I couldn't do it. That I would only fail, again.

"Why even bother?" you said. "It won't be what you expect it to be. You can't do it. You will fail."

I believed you.

Until one day, I had this thought. Who cares?

So what if I fail. Isn't that part of the game anyway? Failure is to be expected, planned for, maybe even praised. Failure has come to be my greatest teacher. Not the cool, fun teacher who lets you watch movies and turn in your homework late, but the teacher who actually helps you LEARN something.

 Failure is nothing to be afraid of Nemesis. Failure is my friend. :)

But Fear? Well, you're just an annoyance. A stumbling block. I'm done with you.

Take that!

Come back later with your super villain costume on and I just might take you seriously.

But, propably not. :)

Huzzah!!!!!!!!!

So, my good friends, tell me, how do you beat the Fear of failure?

P.S. A quick apology to all those who've sent me emails that I haven't responded to yet. It's not because I don't love and appreciate them, and it's not that I don't plan on answering them, I do. I've just fallen behind on that and I have to ask you to forgive me and be patient with me. I'm getting there, I haven't forgotten you, I promise. And if it's been a while since I've visited your blog I'm sorry about that too, I'm working on it, promise! :) Are we still friends? Pretty please? ;););) (that's me batting my eyes at you)

A Study in Black and White

"Chauncy" Giant Schnauzer

10" x 14" gouache

"There's no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." ~ Bern Williams

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too."  ~Samuel Butler

I had been wanting to do a painting of our dog Chauncy for a long time. I'd done a sketch of him in this pose before, but I wanted to give it a try with paint too.

This also happened to be right in the middle of my block period, and I thought that a simple study in black and white might help me get over it.

It was a quick painting, I pretty much just left each stroke where I put it the first time (which really is what I've come to want with every painting I do lately). And I'm pretty happy with the result.

Special thanks and a hearty round of applause to all you out there who sounded off with ways to help me get through the block! You are all rock stars at the height of awesomeness. :) Thank you. :) For real. :D

I took your advice and stepped back from painting for a while. My kids were on spring break last week so I took the opportunity to play and hang out with them. This included picnics at the park, staying up late and watching movies and eating too much candy (I still maintain that there is no such thing as too much candy), going to the library and coming home with loads of good books, playing lots and lots of Wii games, and also getting my fanny kicked at laser tag.

Not by my sweet boys, heavens no. But by a pack of pre teen boys.

This has led me to believe that teenage boys with laser guns are heartless little beasts.

But I digress. . . back to beating the block: I didn't notice a real change until yesterday. My two older boys were at school and my youngest had finally went down for a nap. Huzzah!!

I sat at my desk with my colored pencils out in front of me, picked them up without procrastinating, and started to work. It was wonderful! I felt that joy again, that rush of creating something, and I knew that I was one step closer to pushing that block away.

Creativity really does ebb and flo doesn't it? We just have to remind ourselves of that when we're in the middle of one of those ebb times, or be lucky enough to be reminded of it by our fellow artists who are right there with us in the trenches of Making Art and Being Creative.

:)

See you next week everyone!

My Middle Child, and Artist's Block

My Middle Child

10" x 14"

My sweet boy. My middle child.

 As different as my children are from one another they all have one thing in common, gigantically pure hearts. But of the three, this boy, has something else too. He has such a huge light inside that he's always, always willing to share with others. He has an almost infinite capacity to love and accept others, even those who are different. Sometimes drastically so.

And, he's always SO happy. Even when he's in trouble .

Which reminds me of something else that he has. An almost infinite capacity for mischief. Maybe that's to help balance out all that pure, tenderhearted sweetness.

I have to confess that during my two months away from the computer I did not do as much painting as I usually do. At first I told myself I was taking a well deserved break, that I'd get right back to painting later that night, or the next day, or the next day, or the next day.

But I didn't.

Staying away from painting slowly became a habit. One that I'm still working to break.

This painting was a struggle. And I can't really say why, it's a simple, straightforward pose, with beautiful lighting featuring one of my three favorite subjects.

*shrug*

I don't get it.

Ok, that's not entirely true. I know that it has something to do (probably a lot more than something) with my lack of painting time. My brushes started to feel like foreign objects in my hand, not the well known companions they had come to be.

 And even when I did make myself sit down and paint I found myself just sitting there. Staring off into space, cleaning my palette, organizing my brushes, anything but painting. 

It was frustrating. Still is.

When my computer crashed I was teetering on the edge of something that I'm not sure what to call. I was feeling massively burned out and exhausted with painting. It had become a chore, not a passion. And I hated that.

But lately, I'm starting to feel differently. I set the watercolors and paintbrushes aside and pulled out my colored pencils (which for some reason always seem to make me feel better). I'm working on a piece that I've set aside for months, and so far so good.

I'll let you know how it goes. Don't you be worried about me. I'm not giving up. I know this will pass because I ain't no quitter. 

Ever felt like this before? What do you to break through the block?

Bye-bye block

      Artists block: when one feels no inspiration, motivation, or desire to create. (this is the definition according to me)

      I think I have finally conquered the block! I have kicked it, stomped it, and laughed in its face. I think I may have even said something like this: "Yes, you are a smart and strong competitor, but I am also smart and strong and have a reasonable chance of defeating you."

     And, yes I do like to picture my artists block as an annoying, know-it-all-Sheldon-from-the-Big-Bang-Theory, type character.  I'm an artist, and therefore am free to have an imaginary nemesis, don't judge me :)

      Since I know that all creative people go through phases of feeling stuck, or uninspired at some point, I thought I'd share with you what I've found to be most helpful for me.

• Just keep painting. Or drawing, writing, photographing, or whatever else you do. Because eventually you will work yourself out of this slump, and you will have learned valuable insight about how you like to create. This will help you for the next time you get stuck :)
• Take a break. Yes, I know this a direct contradiction to the first one, but sometimes a break is just what we need. Do something else that you find rejuvenating or relaxing. I find I work the best when I feel refreshed and free of self-imposed burdens. Don't make painting be something you 'have' to do, make it something you 'get' to do, for fun.
• Study about the life and working habits of artists you admire. I find this to be very motivating. I love to read the success stories of others. How they overcame difficulties, their working method, what inspires them, you get the idea. Seeing the success of others is sometimes the motivating push we need to kick ourselves into gear.
• Let yourself create something, just for the sake of creating it. Let yourself make mistakes. There is a lot of freedom in allowing yourself the opportunity to create something and not worry about what anyone else will think of it, or you.

See the imperfectness of this photo? But I love it anyway, because it's fun, and it tells a story that I want to remember. And every time I look at it I can't help but smile.
• Switch media or genre. If you usually paint, then pick up your pencils. If you write fiction, try writing poetry. It's exciting to try new things, and you might find out that you are really good at writing limerick's but how would you ever have known that if you didn't try?
• Remember that you have talent, that you are capable, that you CAN do this. Believe in yourself.

   Just remember why it is you love to create. Remember what it was in the beginning that gave you this desire to add something to your already crazy life. Because it brings you peace, joy, purpose, whatever. You are creative because you need to be, it's who you are. Next time that little block comes along, kick him out, harshly and without apology. You have my permission.

Finished! And, how do you get unstuck?

"Mesmerized"

10 x 14 watercolor

 
  I finished this painting last night. I kept thinking I wanted to go back in and deepen the color but I decided not too. Because it looked fresh to me and I didn't want to go in and kill it. I think it captured my littlest one pretty good :) Gosh they grow so fast.
     I feel like my painting is growing more since I started blogging. I've gained a lot from this experience and I love to see everything you guys are working on. It's feeding my soul. I'm amazed at your technique and the concepts you have. It's been a lot of fun :)
     Next up for me is a portrait of my husband. I started it last night, it's coming along. I'm also looking for a new animal painting, maybe one of my dogs or a horse again. I'm excited about painting again. I love that feeling. I want to hang on to it. Sometimes I feel like I get stuck with my art, I'm not feeling inspired, and I doubt every little thing about my work. One thing that helps me is to see the work of others. That's why I love blogging so much. But what about you? Do you ever feel uninspired? And what do you do to work yourself out of your slump? Happy weekend everyone, can't wait to see what you'll create next.