Sixty Days
Finding my way back to art
Keep calm, and carry on
Posted by on February 7, 2012
Tangle (work in progress)
I have a shameful ignorance of the flora of New England, even though I spend a lot of time looking at it. I’ve been fascinated by the thick, unruly Oriental Bittersweet vines that seem to overwhelm the trees, particularly along the highway, and especially in the winter when the branches are exposed, stark and menacing. I didn’t realize, until I started looking at more of it, how destructive this invasive species is. The impenetrable woven fabric of vines, so visually rich to me, block the sun and strangle the trees, and discourage new growth on the forest floor. I’ve been wanting to paint it for a long time, and I’ve finally begun my first painting this week. The process of painting it feels like an “untangling”, and a logical follow up to the focus-intensive work I’ve been doing with water and rocks. It’s very demanding of my attention.
It’s been such a crazy, draining couple of weeks for me since Chris lost his job, that I wasn’t sure I was up to the task. But somehow, I find the process is restoring my optimism. It’s very much like meditation, painting like this. I’m not thinking about anything, really, just letting my mind follow the tangles wherever they go, losing and finding the threads, catching the bits of light, somehow making a painting. It’s so much better than worrying.
Sixty Days 
Being a closet artist that recently lost my job, I find you blog great inspiration. I am still living thru artist as you and have not found the energy or nudge to set up my own studio and move forward. I wish you and your husband the best for the future — keep painting!
Thanks, Todd! And I hope you find a way to move forward yourself. It’s hard when you’ve lost your job to keep up the optimism and energy needed to make art. But it’s worth it.
I would love to see your palette after a day of painting. Who would think that a barren tree with vines could possess so many different shades of greens, yellows, and blues? And I get what you’re saying about that meditation-via-concentration that occurs as you study your subjects and get it down onto canvas. What a feeling! Keep it going.
Marlene, my palette is typically a mess. I’ll post a picture sometime. It’s a very large piece of heavy glass that I keep using as long as I can find a clear space. When I can’t anymore, I scrape it down with a razor blade and start over.
But…the secret to using a wide range of color is to have them all on your palette to begin with. I always start with a little bit of every color I have. Then it’s easier to find that unexpected color that I didn’t know I needed when I started.