Winter Inspiration
Sometimes a new idea grows quickly on the canvas. From thinking, to draw on paper, then paint to canvas, work can seemingly appear if we allow it to.
Does that sound waaay too arty? Here is what is beginning to happen in my studio just now.
A couple of years ago, I began painting flowers. I made BIG paintings (100 x 100cm) of floral stems. They were visual, true to the subject and I LOVED making them. Over that year and the Spring months of the next I sold all of my paintings, then made a conscious decision to stop.
Er, why would I stop when onto something so good?
Because my glorious period of discovery came to an end.
I found myself beginning paintings with expectations of how I wanted it to look on the canvas. I found it hard to make new pieces - I was trapped by muscle memories of the painting I had made before of that certain flower, or in those colours became stifling and something I genuinely couldn’t free myself from.
It was frustrating and I became trapped, making new paintings just because I knew I could and they had been successful before.
So I stopped making them.
It was a brave, but necessary thing to do - especially with the rent and bills at my heels.
I returned to drawing.
Drawing anything. I ran Art Lunches and worked at my printmaking press. Sales were low but manageable (until my incredible sale at the end of the year).
A frustrating period of s l o w progress.
And still, I’m nowhere near where I was a couple of years ago but that’s ok. I’m lucky to have people close to reassure me that this experience is entirely normal, It’s impossible to have highs without lows in between.
In my next post I talk about paintings that are beginning to emerge. I’m giving them a collective name of ‘Deep Winter’ and I’ll step you through my thinking about them.
Much love
Sam x
