Breaking through procrastination to paint...

Slash!, 8x8 Oil on Panel, private commission

Yesterday I finally got into my studio and painted. This may not seem like a big deal to you but I have been wrestling with procrastination for months now.  There is always something else to do, or something that needs organizing in the studio that keeps me from wetting my brush. I was honored to receive this commission mid April and have had it sketched out for over a month.  I do not know what keeps me from painting because once I get going I feel energized and excited. 

It takes courage to work through the "uglies" and the necessary steps of painting development though.  I work "wet into wet" I start with a dark transparent underpainting then layer the opaque colors over it. There are many moments when a painting seems to have gone horribly wrong somehow and I have to persevere. I enjoy working from photo reference and doing close up portraits of animals in a square format.

"Slash" source photo

My studio set up, working from iPad reference.

Note the surrounding creative chaos in the studio...

transparent under painting, building the darks

Beginning the lights and opaque colors

The eyes start to bring the painting alive!

The pup's personality emerges...

I feel truly blessed to have the creative space in which to paint, plus the time to do so. I feel honored by the commission. As I drove home, energized by the experience I could only shake my head and wonder why it took me so darn long to just sit down & paint. The human creative spirit is a wondrous thing.

Then I went to www.ipiccy.com and created this banner:

Ipiccy is a free photo editing site that allows you to create collages and stickers and other fun stuff.  You can then save the image to your computer and avoid the "collage" fee at www.vistaprint.com if you use it for a promotional item.  The internet is such a vast source of inspiration if you only know where to look.  Recently I found a video by artist James Gurney on YouTube that was fascinating:

Watch a video of this little gouache painting being made at the Plein Air Convention in Monterey last Sunday. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKIfCxXe4L4&feature=youtu.be

I am grateful for the many blessings of my life as it is today. 

Start where you are

Love what you have

Do what you can