It has been extremely emotionally and economically detrimental to close down businesses and schools for 9 months here in California. I personally am hibernating like a bear financially in order to conserve my resources. I am thankful that a few small tutor groups have been going on to provide joy in my life and a trickle of income, as unemployment is not the way I want to stay afloat. I love seeing the excitement from my young students as they express themselves artistically in my private art classes. Art helps provides them with a creative release from the stresses of this extended quarantine.
During this time I had the opportunity to take a workshop to grow in my own Intuitive Expressive art skills. It was fun to let loose try painting with joyful strokes, new techniques letting paint drip down on the canvas, stamp into the paint, paint with my fingers, or spray more water on the canvas to see fluidity and spontaneous changes in the paint process.
This exercise was done in a course of several days, allowing the paint to dry in between otherwise opposite colors of the color wheel turn to mud or grey. It was great to have no idea in mind on what I was painting and let it just flow from pure fun and enjoyment of the medium. At one point though I really thought my piece was hopeless, everything was in a state of chaos and too busy with all kinds of lines and colors everywhere. . . very much like the state of our country - as if it could not get any worse!!!
The instructor encouraged me to go on and that I would like it. Could it turn out into something beautiful? Internally I thought I can not make any sense out of all this. I would need to let it rest and speak to me. Well nothing really spoke to me so I decided to add something that speaks fun to me- a sea turtle. Somehow as I placed this familiar and enjoyable object into the piece covering an area that I clearly did not like, something changed. I added some blue and greens to outline the shape. This helped coax the turtle out of the busy background so I could recognize it better. Then my turtle needed another friend so I added a seahorse went into another area that was too distracting. . . pretty soon these happy memories of underwater diving made my heart sing being under the sea again!
Once in my happy place, I was able to add bits of color and details to bring more attention to these whimsical sea creatures. Applying a light wash to the background also helped in bringing the seahorse and sea turtle forward. My energy and mood changed and soon this was turning into a piece of art that I am quite excited with.
My other painting was done having hinderances broken and taping into that playful creative side!
If you are interested in trying this creative approach, contact me at Michelle@Art-N-You.com.