Learning to Listen

If I say my paintings talk to me, will you call the men in white coats?But they do - they really do!Let me show you what I mean. This painting had been through about 15 layers and much frustration when it became this ...And all of a sudden, it happened.It's hard to describe 'it' but it's this moment where the painting comes alive, almost as if it has a personality. And it's a personality with a loud voice - it's as if we're singing together as I paint (only you really don't want to hear me singing because that is not an enjoyable experience). Instead of a struggle, painting becomes a joy because it's coming from somewhere deep within me and it's authentic. It's not a copy of someone else's work. It's not "I'd better to do this because that's what people like." It's not tentative. It's not afraid. It's just pure energy coming through in paint.By itself that's not enough of course. Once that moment happens, the dance begins. I have to find a way to respond to what's there, keeping the energy but taming it into something that makes the right visual impact. If I do that mindfully, there is a moment where the painting speaks to me and tells me what it wants to be.(There's still time to call the men in white coats...)With this painting, that happened as I worked to strengthen the composition and add depth and interest throughout. At some point, I turned it upside down and suddenly it spoke of space.This is a common theme for me. I love being alone on the moor near my house, the wind blowing my hair, a curlew flying overhead, and a feeling of endless space. So as I worked into the painting, I knew I wanted to capture some of that feeling.This meant opening up the painting by creating lots of light areas. I'm also learning that I am fascinated by paint application and by all the different ways you can create interest in a piece, so I kept that in mind as I worked and after 5 or 6 more layers, I made a bold swoop of indigo paint with a dry brush and suddenly, the painting told me it was finished. 'Enough already' it said, and I agreed.