In the Studio This Week – Artist’s Block, Spring Cleaning, and a Mermaid
In the studio this week, I suffered from artist’s block. I’ve been feeling less than motivated for a few weeks. I took a break from painting for a few days and focused on some Spring cleaning and organization. Oh! I did manage to squeak out a mixed media painting of a mermaid keeping with the underwater theme.
Artist’s Block
This week felt just meh! I couldn’t find any painting references that really spoke to me. I had been going full bore with The Mastery Program but since it shifted to more focus on techniques instead of specific assignments, I had a hard time knowing where to go. This section of the program is to further refine my artist’s aesthetic and start preparing to put together a marketable portfolio. I think I’m afraid to take that next step.
I could really use your input as to where you see my artist’s voice. What paintings that I created really resonated with you?
Spring Cleaning
Well, since I couldn’t get into the creative side of painting, I decided to paint and organize my pantry. It was long overdue and even though it’s only been a year, the shelves were showing wear. Plus, when we had moved in, we just pretty much threw everything that didn’t have a designated space into the pantry.
I tend to give myself credit for this type of painting as a creative endeavor. After all, I am wielding a brush! I didn’t take a “before” picture but check out my finished project.
I also spent some time organizing my studio. I had several Nova™ acrylic paints that came in jars. Several of the jars had lids stuck on them. I took an X-ACTO knife and palette knife and inserted them between the jar and the lid. Success, for the most part. The jar of Cadmium yellow had dried out beyond use.
Mixed Media Mermaid
One of the techniques in The Mastery Program directed the use of dry pigments. These are usually iridescent, and I thought using them would look best in a painting featuring water. I chose an underwater photograph of a mermaid. I did this one on a 12” x 24” canvas as I had one on hand and the subject seemed to suggest a long, narrow view. I started with the layer off acrylic washes, and I used some spray paint and a stencil as you can see in the lower right corner.
