#172 – HEY GRANNY – Be Creative Mary

Man oh man, I was super frustrated yesterday.

I had one of those days where I couldn’t get my mind to meet up with my hands. My expectations of what I wanted my painting to look like and that which actually manifested, were not simpatico. Now that the crazy critical energy has passed, I look back at yesterdays work and it’s not bad at all. It’s not what I envisioned, but it’s its own thing.

So after a day of experimenting and a lot of frustration, today I found solace in something very traditional, a still life.

Still lives always bring me comfort. There is a formula, there is a beginning and an end. They nurture, soothe me and give me a rest before I get up the courage to experiment with something I don’t know again.

I was also very angry that yesterday’s painting didn’t have the translucency I was going for, so today I picked something I could swirl around and where I could take advantage of the white in the paper. Apples are perfect for this. Painting them felt great.

The sketching part is always difficult. I spend a lot of time in front of a mirror looking at the painting’s reflection. If the ellipses and circles in your drawing are off, the reflection will tell you. I then have to take out the vacuum for the tremendous amount of eraser shred all over the room and then finally, I can get to the part I like, painting!

I am on Day #172 of my 365 day creativity challenge and I think I can safely say watercolors are the most comfortable medium for me thus far. I didn’t know that 172 days ago. Right there this journey of exploration has been worth it. But I think the act of taking risks and experimenting with the unknown and then retreating back to that which is familiar is the right way to go.

stretch…grow…rest…stretch….grow…rest…

I can definitely see how my energy goes in waves just like that:

experiment….learn….go back to what I know….experiment….learn….go back to what I know….

The rides a little bumpy at times, but I feel just as invigorated as I did on January 1st. Ultimately for any frustration I may feel, I over-all feel wonderful.

I’m still totally digging this challenge!

So, here’s the progression of this painting so far. It’s a 16×20 watercolor on 140LB cold press paper: