My art-making has changed in so many ways over this last few months. As the CVP program draws to a close, I have been reflecting on all the ways it has changed my work (and me).Working in a SeriesOne of the most powerful changes is that I now work on multiple pieces at once.My current series has 13 paintings in progress and I plan to start a couple more in the next few days.The red ones on the right are generally quite far along and I have put them aside for now. The purple/blue ones on the left-hand side are less developed. I plan to add an extra two or three to that group and then work on the whole set until they are as far along as the red ones. Then, I can evaluate them all as a body of work and make final changes before sealing them. Beginning with PlayI have learned that I prefer paintings with a sense of depth and that doesn’t come if you resolve the picture too early.If I begin by playing, just adding layers of paint for fun, BEFORE I start resolving the design, I find a few things happen. First the design evolves organically and is therefore more original and interesting. Second, there are all kinds of happy accidents that happen when you paint with no intention and many of these can be kept and incorporated into the painting. Third, you can sand or scrape back to reveal some of the paint lying underneath, creating more happy surprises and cool effects.Here are some boards that are still at the 'play' stage. Getting Clear about my FocusI’ve always felt compelled to paint and draw the North Yorkshire landscape – particularly the dales and the moors. But why? For what reason?I’m much clearer about that now and the clarity of purpose has changed my work. I now know that I am specifically interested in using colour and mark making to communicate my personal experience of this wild and dramatic landscape.I don’t care about painting outside. I don’t sketch. I don’t use photographs. And I don’t start with any specific place in mind. I’m not interested in portraying how this place looks – I’m interested in how it feels. So I walk the hills and moors most days and then I paint.Hence my paintings have become red and purple and blue instead of the traditional greens and blues I used to use. This may change but the colours I choose reflect the way I am feeling inside as well as how the landscape makes me feel. The same applies to the shapes and marks.Here is my first fully finished post-CVP paintingDoing more of what feels goodWhat a revelation this was! CVP teaches the importance of finding your own style and voice by paying attention to what you love. Do you light up inside when you fling paint at a canvas from a distance, or when you carefully render details in pencil?The directive is simple: find what you love and do more of it. The natural outcome of that is that you find your own personal style. And the more unique and personal you can make your work – and  the more joy you took in making it - the more likely it is to appeal to others. I believe this. It makes sense to me when I think about the art I appreciate.The importance of making space  Do you give yourself the space and time to make art, or whatever else you love to do?I used to fit my art making in around everything else. At first this meant I worked in a tiny little cubby-hole office and then later I put a table into our guest room (which is over the garage) and squeezed myself in around the existing furniture.But the thing is, we only have guests to stay a few times a year. That meant that for 350+ days, I was tip-toeing around people who weren’t even there! That has all changed now. That room is my studio. There is a sofa bed for when guests come and I will clean up as best as I can, but they will fit around my art and not the other way round.It's not as dark as it looks in this photo. It's actually a nice bright space. I'm very fortunate.Next I need to make space for my art in other ways – specifically by carving out time for it, rather than fitting it in between everything else. This is a challenge but it’s something I’m thinking seriously about.New confidenceI love my new work. It feels honest and authentic and 100% me. I feel comfortable talking about it to other people – in fact, I’m looking forward to it. That’s something I could never have said before.Art = LifeI can’t believe I never got this before – that the way we are when we make art is a reflection of the way we are in our lives. I lacked confidence in my art when it didn’t feel 100% authentic. And now I am wondering - do I lack confidence in my life because I am often less than honest? I am so concerned about not saying anything that might hurt someone, or cause conflict, that I often don’t say what I mean or do what I want.So I say to you, dear reader, if there are things that bother you about your art, where do those same things show up in your life?The other bits and bobs I have also learned so many interesting tips, tricks and materials. Not just from the coaches but from the course participants, a group of hundreds of diverse artists from all over the world, who range from long-time professionals to first-time painters. I found that I love working on wood. I learned how to make a stay wet palette using a tray and some baking paper. I’ve learned about new mediums, and colors, and techniques, and tools. And most of all I have learned to experiment and take risks all the way through my painting process.I've Become MyselfWhen I started CVP, a friend asked if I was going to start painting just like Nicholas Wilton, who teaches the course. I can categorically say that the answer is no. In fact, the opposite is true: I have simply learned to paint more like me. 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.