Painter’s block

27 Jun Painter’s block

Haven’t had much time for painting lately and it’s led to a bit of a slump when I do.  I think that’s OK.  I mean it’s wretched, but I can see how slumps happen.  Fingers crossed that maybe, like sometimes happens, I’ll stumble through this part and then be rewarded by a breakthrough!  Even a little one!  Like when a baby goes through a week of grizzling, acting cranky and never-endingly voraciously scarily hungry, and all of  a sudden gains 2 pounds and sprouts a couple of teeth.  You look back and think, “Oh OK. That’s what that was about.”

It’s the end of the school year and as usual a busy time filled with events, forms to be returned, and early dismissals to be remembered.  All a bit daunting for a take it by the minute woman like me!  I found a window of opportunity on the weekend to paint and regroup,  catch my breath before the last nutty week.  I painted……… blah stuff.  Worked from a pretty photo of a harbour in Halifax (even cropped down a bit it was probably still a little ambitious, especially when slumping) but I didn’t do it well.  Standard Painting 101 quality.  Humph.  I thought about it overnight and decided to tackle the same scene again the next day, only bigger!  Looser!  Better!!  Yeah, this was going to be great!  While I painted I frequently held up the first painting for scornful comparison, this new one was sooooo much better,  until I realized…. they were very very similar.  Ugh moment.  So I pouted for a bit and then let loose with colour, had some fun. And it turned out the finished painting was…….. not great!  Sheesh.  Both it and its predecessor are destined for a coat of black paint somewhere down the line but I think I did some good thinking about colour.  The next one is going to be remarkable!  I so know it!  Yup.

Here is a teensy eensy corner of the second painting.   That’s all I’m showing.  The rest is feeling shy.

I did have someone trying to help, making suggestions as to what colours to use, but in the end she ditched me for a spot in the sun.