Entering the fourth week of Flora's class (I'm a bit behind on assignments), we have been adding more layers and now have an even bigger mess. Flora calls this the ugly teenage stage. She has a refreshing way of looking at things though. Rather than focusing on what isn't working at this stage, she tells us to look for what is working and do more of it.
Here's all the craziness in one of my canvases:
I can't say I'm finding a whole lot that I love about it, but I do like this shape:
And the freshness of this area:
So those will be my starting points when I approach it next time. It's funny that I always approach my students' work in that sort of positive light, looking for what is working in a piece, but when it comes to my own, my thoughts turn negative and I'm critical about what doesn't work. I'll give this a whirl.I really love the spiritual quality of Flora's approach and the lessons that come through painting--acceptance, letting go, being flexible, staying present. Some days I'm much better at those things than others.
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4 comments:
Sounds like you are being challenged! My friend Ro is doing the same online workshop...I havent seen her piece yet, but our next catch up is at her place, so I'm looking forward to that.
This has great promise, cant wait to see more.
Jacky xox
I'm definitely being challenged! I'm trying to stay with Flora's approach and not revert back to how I would normally paint something, but it's a struggle for me.
isn't it wonderful that you can compare how you hold others' work with how you hold your own? I just read J. Cameron's rule of creativity this morning that says, 'take care of quantity and let Source take care of quality.' (in other words, give up the judgment!!) I do love the work you're doing in this class.
Dee--that's one of my favorite quotes. One I have to keep reminding myself about!
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