Set in the Highlands
Every new year I set goals. They fall into the categories of spiritual, emotional, physical, and lately professional. In the last category, I wrote down the 2019 goals of:
A new job
At least one painting I am proud of in 2019
My last day at my previous job was May 10, and the first painting I am proud of this year was completed on June 28th, not too bad to hit both goals by half way through the year!
These 425 square inches of paint and time represent overcoming a 4-year hiatus of creating work I am confident in and proud of. Granted, I haven't painted all that much these past few years, but the canvases I have painted have been forced, frustrating, and "failures." Take for example, another Grayson Highlands painting I started in 2017:
Oil painting of Grayson Highlands sunset in progress
I've painted and re-painted the contours and masses of Grayson Highlands grass and trees at varying depths at least 7 times over the past two years, and I am still not happy with it. It's hard as the viewer to understand depth and form and come away with a clear idea of where the sun is hitting. It's the same sun, mountains, same artist as the painting above, and yet so much more frustrating. Sure, the canvas size might be an odd one for this view and it's not as far along, but in terms of time, I've collectively put more in this second one. So I ask myself, what caused such a greater return on time investment in Set in the Highlands?
I think it comes down to a few main factors for me:
Context
Confidence
Focus
Context
The past few years have been busy, as is the case for everyone. I made the excuse that I had no energy or time to paint with a full-time job, often with late hours. Taking a break to breathe has been a huge kick start for me to be excited about creating again. I've spent time with friends and family and traveled the south east, spending plenty of time outside. I've re-learned the importance of making time for activities that recharge my soul.
This painting was based on a photo of our campsite in the Grayson Highlands (if you have not been, you should visit the wild horses!) with friends 2 summers ago. Not only am I presently in a healthier state of mind, but that hike was a refreshing time with friends and one of the best sunsets I have ever experienced. The light at the time of this photo was my favorite kind, the golden hour!
Confidence
I am an artist. I've resisted saying that due to my lack of production lately, but with this break, when people ask me what I do, I've reluctantly forced out the response, "I am an artist." Claiming that identity and communicating it via my website and social media has had a circular effect of helping me embrace it more. Instead of approaching the canvas with doubt, I trust my eyes and hands. I find that being less stressed has allowed me to be confident in production and less concerned with how the final product will come to be and what people will think. Confidence appropriately balanced with an openness to improve frees me to produce without feeling trapped.
Focus
My natural tendency is think about the big picture and the future. This translates to painting by using a palette knife to make broad strokes and frustration when a painting takes more than a few hours. I get overwhelmed by the tension of detail and maintaining blocks of value. For this painting, I went in with the intention to focus on getting value right and also developing form more deliberately up front. I have to focus on bits at a time and give myself grace that art takes time.
You'll see an underpainting of an orchid on this canvas. I had good intentions with the orchid painting: buy something I find beautiful and hope for the best when I paint with confidence. The fatal flaw with that plan was not choosing a composition up front that I was truly intrigued by. The orchid painting is an example of not having focus and a lack of confidence. I was forcing an idea rather than being deliberate about the actual composition and the fact that it was a painting I was producing. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a painter without actually taking the time to think about the painting itself.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on what factors have helped you or others get over artistic blocks. Enjoy the gallery below!
