Would You Ever Let A Story Tell Itself?
That’s exactly what I do when I paint intuitively. It’s so much fun, but also a mystery to me how it really works, no matter how many times I do it.
I may have ideas of subject I want to work with and side sketches. Sometimes I start with words that I write directly on the canvas. Many times, I just approach the blank canvas, mind open and ready for a ride. The story builds itself as I lay down layers, play with symbols that come to mind, push paint around, and watch for a character to make an appearance. It’s a combination of intuition, painting skills, experience, and ability to slide into a flow state and let myself be guided.
Let’s use She Speaks as an example. The original is a 24” by 30” canvas. I started with some words in my head about body positivity and self care. It’s not a personal piece, just collective unconscious, in this case. I generally like to listen to electronic music with a beat, but no words. My brain needs to play and my body move as I create. I laid out several layers, mixing paint directly on the canvas as I went.
I was feeling a sense of lushness, and scrawled in some loose flowers, while continuing to play with color, mark making with brushes, fingertips, and some unusual tools. Suddenly I saw a figure, and loosely sketched her in, listening to her form and message. Can you listen through your hands? Sounds weird, but I turn off my brain as much as I can, stay in a flow state, and follow inspiration.
We are often at an ugly stage in a painting by then. There’s a riot of color, texture, and a figure trying to come to life. Some of the elements will need quieting, shadows enriched, colors in need of balance, and all the tiny worlds inside the painting further along before it starts to feel cohesive or ……. beautiful as a whole. That ugly stage can be overwhelming. Somepaintings move quickly and clearly through, and some sit like a grumpy adolescent, staring at me, “Well, I don’t know what to do now! You started this, you fix it!”
The young goddess figure emerged and gently asked for the sea around her, and the caress of tropical flowers. Her hair grew long and full of moons, stars and life. She clearly wanted to be enjoying herself in nature, grounded in the beauty and various elements around her, happy with herself. I could imagine her humming to herself, and wrote some more words down. The reflecting water told a story on her torso, almost like a tattoo. I could have painted over it, but who I am I to hide someone’s story, shown on their skin for all to see?
With any of my story paintings, once the elements are in place, the central character filled out, color palette developed, lights and darks in good shape, it’s time to ask myself, “Is it done?” How do I finish a painting? That’s really challenging, actually. I let a painting “sit” on my living room wall, for days or a week. I look at it many times a day, with a critical eye. Probably the OTHER side of my brain. How does the eye flow over a large painting, with so much story and element pieces? Do the colors please? Does it need anything else? Does that blob of blue need more friends to settle in? Do I like the painting? Do I have the urge to do anything else to it?
The style is called intuitive painting. It feels like a dream made solid. I also refer to them as story paintings because each viewer has their own version based on their life experience, and what they experience in these colors, figures, symbols and words.
Here’s the “ boring” practical part of painting, but it’s incredibly important technical stuff that artists do: Have the piece professionally photographed, apply layers of varnish to keep the art clean and UV protected, drill holes and wire the back, enter the painting in the data base, make prints available. She’s ready to go play in the world!!
Thank you for writing to ask me now I create my big paintings! I appreciate the challenge to put into words the wild, internal process.
