Go Big or Go Home!

Another artist told me that the CVP program was "like 4 years of art school in 3 months" and at the halfway mark, I definitely feel like I've done two years worth of work! Thankfully, I've also done two years of learning.The other day, I took a break from the homework assignments and decided to work on an old painting that I never really liked. Here's the piece as it was ...It's not terrible and I've sold paintings that are very similar, but it just didn't have the impact I was looking for and I wasn't sure how to fix it.But after all the work I've done this past 6 weeks, I felt completely different. I know exactly what needs to change and I have a process to make it happen.The new version is miles from finished - I only spent a couple of hours on it - but just look at the difference in impact ...I'm excited to keep following my new process and guide this to completion by livening up the colour, adding texture and interest, and building quiet conversations into the spacious areas.I've also been working to take some of the ideas I've developed onto larger panels. This 60cm x 60cm piece is at the early stages but again I have a plan.I know some of you are thinking about doing CVP next year and wondering what you might get out of it. For me, the most powerful thing is having a completely new process for making art. I will always work in multiples from now on, developing a whole series at once. I will always begin by playing with no intention. And then at some point, I will start to develop each piece with a series of structured considerations in mind. I will develop the design and values first and, when those are working well, I will start to think about colour and texture, working through a series of considerations for each one.I think this is what makes Nick's teaching different from anything I've ever experienced - including the 3 years I studied art in college. He has devised a coherent framework for making art - but it's not in any way constraining. Within that framework, there is room for any style of art and any level of ability. It doesn't mean that every painting will work perfectly, but it significantly improves the odds and feel so much better than my previous way of working, which - like many artists I know - was always hit and miss.It's Sunday today which means I have time to paint, so it's back into the studio to work on my series. I have nine 30cm x 30cm boards in progress at the moment, in two different colour palettes. Here are some of them at an early stageGood times!If you want to keep in touch with what I'm up to, do sign up for my newsletter :)Update: CVP is about to launch again in May 2019. 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 April 26th 2019) so sign up HERE to take advantage of free learning.