There always is a little anticipation, a little nervous energy when we are starting something we haven’t before. In art and in life, this feeling is useful. It provides the juice, the energy to begin and make something different.
How do you start something new?
Here is the link to the pencils I use in the video: http://tinyurl.com/gmwoyme
16 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
the founder of Art2Life.
With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
Join me and artists from all over the world in our Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group or learn more here about Art2Life.
Thank you, Nicholas, for your insight.The miniscule changes stage is a good place to know when to stop.
Nicholas,
Another spot on post! Thank you. I have had several pieces get away from me because I wasn’t paying attention. Adding too many details can be the kiss of death. So, like you suggest I work macro to micro, asking myself if I am adding big stuff or adding a detail. When I get to the point that I am just adding details, then I ask myself if the details are necessary. I guess I am just saying that when I stop paying attention and stop asking these questions, the piece goes awry. And at the end, like you suggest, just knowing that each piece offers something can be incentive enough to know that the piece is done. It can just “be.”
Always helpful stuff. Thank you!
Libby
I have learned that when I have something good going, something I like and see potential in but can’t figure out where to go next, that I just need to let it sit in view (or out of view) for a while. In some instances I realize that the painting is actually finished! So my habit now is -as best as I can control it – to stop when I like what I see but feel it might not be complete – and to throw it under the table for a while.
Aaaaaah yes! I walk on the edge of the cliff every time things slow down. I’m going to pay attention to the signals now. Thanks for the insight Nicholas!!!
Hi Nick, Great post! Something you said really struck me. You said each painting has something to teach us. I thought back to the many paintings I have ruined…really…landscapes that I worked on for a long time that were pretty nice until the END. I thought what do those teach me? And they taught me that my inner critic was sabotaging my work! The paintings were nice, but my critic kept telling me they were not good enough, so i kept working and working, and lost that magic that initially came from inspiration. Thank you for this post!
I totally relate to your comment, Sally. My inner critic is not very helpful and has led me to overwork more than a couple of paintings. To keep things fresh, I have to trust my own process.
Great topic. Generally I notice the dialogue I’ve been having with a painting has quieted and no further brush strokes will contribute to the outcome. It is like that moment of equipoise on a seesaw when the board is finally level and additional action will disrupt the dynamic asymmetric balance we’ve achieved.
if I’m uncertain about a piece being finished though, I ask my husband for feedback. His responses are rarely just yes or no. It’s a helpful point to have a discussion, since he knows my work and goals well. A couple times though he has come into my studio and said, unbidden, “stop right now.” I will stop then and at least put the painting away for a few days. More than half the time he is right because he brings that objectivity you mention Nicholas and recognizes I’ve achieved the “sweet spot” where a particular narrative is evident but not fully disclosed.
Very timely discussion as this subject has come up in two art group meetings I have attended lately. Thanks much, Nicholas, for your insights, clear writing and helping us all feel like we are less in a vacuum out here.
Thanks for another insightful post Nicholas. Often I fall in love with a stage of my painting, and then decide to add one more little thing and totally RUIN it! I need to step back and pause.
Thank you for your insight. Your comments are very helpful to know when to stop and avoid overworking a painting.
Great post and a situation I am all too familiar with. I agree that letting it sit and revisit it in a few days gives a fresh perspective.
Thanku, l really appreciate these insights. I have been experiencing every single one re finishing a work and having another waiting in the wings for me to unleash my intuition on. I notice my mind enjoys latching onto my uncertainty rather than moving on boldly. Thankfully l read this blog today rather than wasting another day in my studio. Thankyou:) Kerry
Such a great post! It can often be so hard to know when the piece is actually finished…
Hi Nicholas, This is a great post, as they all are. Thank you!….. I often ruin a painting when i decide to prefect something that doesn’t need it. NOW, I will slow down,..AND, pay more attention. If i have a friend look at it, it helps also…they will say maybe a little of this…but mostly they yell at me, ..STOP!!! MSUSAN
OMG! Thank you for saying this, “… I just keep changing the art more and more till at some point the painting I had been trying to finish is now so different that it has become an entirely new painting, And this new one has a whole new list of problems just as long as the previous one. So I wonder…am I getting anywhere? It doesn’t feel like it.” This happens to me and it makes me feel helpless. Of course, with your Art2Life course I know what I can do to keep going 🙂
another hint that the painting might be finished is when you keep removing what you have added.. such as new marks, shapes, etc that don’t add but rather detract from the painting as a whole. Each new addition seems to be an intrusion and you know you felt better with what was there before. When this happens I give the painting a rest, and find that often it has reached its conclusion. But if it still feels incomplete/unresolved, then I know I need to go back in and be willing to let go of what’s there to get to where it’s meant to be.