Finding Beauty in the Process & New Paintings

TITLE: Step Back. Have Patience. Prints available in my etsy shop.

lately, i've been thinking a lot about the creative process and the journey it often takes to get to where you think you'd like to go. 

there's this wonderful interview with Sheryl Sandberg (facebook coo) and Oprah where someone from the audience asks Oprah how she reminds herself that anything is possible when things get really hard or when things go wrong. and Oprah says that she doesn't get discouraged because she stays focused on the bigger picture and looks at failure as something moving her in another direction.

that's a phrase i remind myself of often. especially while trying something new. since i created my first SNOOTER painting, i've been wanting to repeat it. i've tried keeping with the same long nose and high eyes, but in the process of this painting i was reminded of the importance and lack of fun in trying to recreate something. 

instead, whenever i let go and enjoy the process, allowing something new to filter in, that's wen the magic happens! i hope you enjoy the process of this painting from start to finish...

i've really been adoring neon pink and fingerprints...

but i just couldn't get this girl's face right.

i tried a new color scheme and gave the painting more ground, but i still didn't like her face. she felt too realistic and not bold enough...

so i flipped my canvas around and tried again! i'd been having lots of fun with color and texture in faces and backgrounds from mindy lacefield's paint your story e-course, so i started from there. now she had much more character! yet she was a bit too busy for me... 

so i tried to find some definition, but then she lost all of her character and went back to being too human again.

so i went with it and just kept adding layers. then i tried to find more definition and bring out her character again, so i painted everything black.

i really didn't like the black, but it helped me find more of her outline when i added blue. i still wasn't happy with her face, so i completely repainted it...now she looked more like one of my snooters.

sometimes, i get to a point in a painting where i feel like i need to let it go. this one had so many layers, and i had tried so hard to get it to just where i wanted, but it still wasn't feeling right. 

TITLE: Step Back. Have Patience. Prints available in my etsy shop.

and then a crazy thing happened...when i added my topcoat (mod podge), the bleeding art tissue paper i'd used in the first layer of background, despite loads and loads of layers of acrylic paint, oil pastels and india ink...the tissue paper seeped through! it gave her features so much more definition and drama! it was a beautiful surprise in the process!

now she's really a Snooter, a whimsical creature from a book i'm writing. a character that only comes out at night and always has a lot to say. and this Snooter says so much without a word. it's all in her one quick glance that tells you to stop doing so much and just be, knowing the wisdom that comes when you STEP BACK and HAVE PATIENCE

and i'm so thankful i photographed the evolution of this piece from start to finish. because as soon as i  headed back into the studio, i felt like there was no way i could do it again... 

TITLE: Dream. Prints available in my etsy shop.

and then this painting just fell right into place! 

this character is one that appears out of nowhere to tell you with one quick glance...stop dancing around. get to it and live your DREAM!

TITLE: Dream. Prints available in my etsy shop.

i always feel like whatever i learn from one painting gets transferred into the next. and when i'm trying new things it can be difficult and frustrating, but it's the beauty of it all fitting together afterward that always makes me smile. 

i love it when things happen that i could never have better planned.

.......................

ps. i've added a few new LARGE OWL PRINTS (12.5" x 12.5") to my art shop too. enjoy!