The post title is a Gerhard Richter quote. He actually said "Art is the highest form of hope."I've been thinking about hope and optimism recently. I have experienced bouts of depression and anxiety throughout my life, but especially over the last few years. I had always assumed that, as I continued to develop my artistic voice, I would manifest those darker feelings in paint.But instead, the opposite is happening.Nicholas Wilton, who runs the CVP program, teaches a painting process that begins with play. We start each piece working entirely intuitively, with no goal in mind. The object at this stage is not to make a picture. It is simply to experiment, play with the materials, and see what emerges. Once the board or canvas is covered in paint, you then have something to work with. You can continue to play, responding to what is already there, or you can start to paint over top of the 'play painting.' Either way, what's there forms a beginning.Having learned this approach, I know I will never go back to my old way of working. I love painting with no intention. I adore knowing that nothing is a mistake, just a jumping off point. And I enjoy the surprises that inevitably happen when you let go of expectations.The biggest surprise of all? All my play paintings look and feel happy. Joyous even. They are light and bouncy and radiant and filled with personality.These are simply first layers and most of this paint will be covered over several times before the paintings are complete, but having started with no intention, I'm fascinated to discover that I am painting exactly what I wrote about last time - the way I feel when I am out in the open countryside. So by allowing my art to happen however it wants, I am allowing it to connect me to positive feelings. And those good feelings are reinforced each time I look at the pieces.Truly the highest form of hope!Click here to read all my posts about CVP.Update: CVP2020 is now open for enrolment and I will be running a private Facebook group with my fellow artist Alice Sheridan to coach people through this free workshop. If you'd like to join us, sign up for CVP HERE  and then ask to join the Facebook group.