I am often asked about the process that I undertake to produce my paintings. How long does it take? What is your inspiration?
One way that I describe the process is through the maturity of children because to me, my paintings are my children, they are part of me. As with children my paintings go through a maturity process. At first there is the excitement of the white blank canvas with infinite possibilities. Then when I begin to paint they are given birth to a new different painting. As with infants the possibilities and directions that they life will take are endless.
When I am asked by someone if they could watch me paint, I say to them, you’d probably come and see me sit looking at the painting for hours on end while I contemplate my next move. Similar to children, mother watch their children as they explore their new life. I watch as the painting matures in my mind.
But as with children, there is a need to move beyond self discovery and a more formal learning process begins. In many ways by teaching children, you are influencing or creating a value system that is similar to you. So in most case this directing on or sharing of your value system to the child you are producing a derivative of yourself. In the same way, I am directing the life of my paintings by choosing the next layer of paint that I put on the canvas. It is this application of paint or the application of my subconscious mind that makes my paintings different from other.
Just like children, there are times when I feel like “ringing their neck” as my mom would say. That frustration with the child is similar to the experience that I feel when the painting take a direction that I don’t like. But like a mother, I don’t act on the feeling, I let the paint sit, I let the paint “sit” in my mind as I contemplate my next move.
End of part 1
