A CVP Epiphany

Since starting CVP, most of the work I've done has nothing to do with landscapes. I always thought landscape was my biggest inspiration - so how come I'm not painting it during this massive creative burst?We're being encouraged to notice, during our daily lives, what interests us. So on my most recent walk, I took my camera, intending to photograph whatever things, shapes, patterns of light or textures caught my eye. But there was nothing in particular. Feeling confused, I climbed up to the top of a hill and looked back behind me. Then I got it! I can't capture it with a camera or sketchbook because it's not tangible. What inspires me about this landscape isn't how it looks, it's how it feels. Or more specifically, it's how I feel when I am out in that vast empty space, with just the wind and the curlews for company. THAT's what I love. THAT's what pushes my creative buttons.It's a feeling I've also experienced in the studio lately, during those times when I am painting without a final destination in mind. It's a lightness, a lift, a rare feeling of joy that comes from deep inside.I'm still not quite sure why this should be the case - and maybe I don't need to know - but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I have always been hyper-aware of the needs, concerns, and feelings of others. If I don't feel I'm pleasing others, there's this low-lying anxiety and stress running under every day life and a continual stream or negative or worried thinking playing in the background, no matter what else I am doing.But out there in the hills, or there in my studio, it's just me and all that quietens down a little bit.I'm not sure if that's it - but I do know that I am onto something with this realization that the appearance of the landscape is not what matters.No wonder I am usually not thrilled with my landscape paintings and no surprise that I don't always enjoy making them as much as I should - I have been trying to capture the wrong thing!As I worked this week with a limited palette, I found myself going back to landscape shapes and forms, and I do like the work I produced, but I really came alive when I started a new series that seemed to come out of nowhere. Each one features an off-kilter heart shape that runs off the side or top of the panel and features scraped textures and scribbled text. I have no idea where these came from and a lot more work is needed, but these paintings definitely want to be born so I plan to keep developing them and see where they go.CVP really is an exciting, illuminating, confusing and fascinating process!Click here to read all my posts about CVP.Update: CVP is about to launch again in May 2020. The best news is that you can try it for free by taking a free workshop. There are a lot of people who give away free stuff in order to sell something bigger but this is different - you really do get tons of stuff for free whether or not you ever take the course. The free workshop is coming up soon (starts Feb 14th 2020) so sign up HERE to take advantage of free learning (and get a special invite to a private Facebook group I am running with my Art Juice co-host Alice Sheridan JUST for the duration of the workshop).