Friday, April 13, 2018

Taking It All In

I have turned myself over to the twelve weeks of my Nicholas Wilton Creative Visioning Project class, and now that we are in week 7, I'm wondering how much more I can hold.  My sketchbook is full of notes, ideas, inspirations, practical advice.  I watch the videos of everything from cleaning a paintbrush (who knew you should always dip it in water before you begin painting?) to showing up fully and revealing yourself in your paintings.  I'm obsessed and even lose sleep over it.  Thankfully we get a week long break after next week.

Right now we are in a deep experimental mode.  Here are the boards I posted last week:



And those same boards this week.  Better?  No.  I probably don't even like them as well as last weeks, but we are experimenting, trying to find differences and building up layers for future work.  


 While I've been working on the lessons, I've also been painting in my usual style and seeing how much I've absorbed without giving it a lot of thought.  The lessons we get over and over are about creating high value contrasts, moving the eye, and creating lots of differences.






It's challenging to move back and forth between keeping fresh and spontaneous and being analytical.  There are so many things to keep in balance that I never seem to be fully satisfied.  There's always a bit more tweaking to do.  I'm excited that we move on to glazes and creating depth this week.  O1ne more challenge to add to the equation!

3 comments:

Dreamcicle Journeys said...

I think your new paintings in your own style have more energy, movement and contrast. They are full of life. The middle one is especially nice.

Suzanne Reynolds said...

I like what you've developed in your own style; the lessons are well-reflected. The last one is my favorite. It has just the right amount of black. So cool to see your work!

Robin Olsen said...

Thanks Suzanne and Paula! It’s such an interesting struggle when you want to learn new material yet not lose yourself in it. I’m moving even more structured in this coming week, but hope I eventually settle back into a comfortable place.