“Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful or to discover something that is true.”
William Inge, Playwright

Avoid Lackluster Beginnings

When I am excited about what I am creating, I create better.

If I realize that I am not enthusiastic about what I am working on, then I either mess it up on purpose which usually frees me up to work back into it again, or I take a huge risk and try something crazy or out of character for me. Many times I end up trashing it.

Taking risks with my paintings is not easy; however, often times the act of doing so shocks some life back into the piece and some energy back into me. If I am bored with a particular painting and I start off the day's painting session with lackluster feelings about it, the painting session is usually doomed and so is the painting.

How I feel about my painting always shows up in the finished painting.

So, I try and start my painting sessions with playfulness, curiosity, energy and a sense of adventure. I show up, begin and stay put until something happens. I ask myself, “What if?” I make a mark and then another and another.

I try to take as many risks early on in the session as I can before I drift into preciousness. It is so easy for me to become timid and treat the painting as a precious little gem. I try to do something unexpected, and I also try and be as unpredictable I can.

I take lots of short breaks.

Taking lots of short breaks works much better for me than painting for long stretches and then taking a long break. I never seem to be able to build momentum taking long breaks. Working hard for 30 minutes and then taking a 5 minute break works so much better for me and allows me to hang onto my energy and enthusiasm. I am much better able to build and maintain momentum by working this way. And, this working method also keeps procrastination, distractions and self-doubt at bay.

If boredom is able to wrap me in its clutches, then I do something drastic like splash, drip, spill, pour, tear up, then collage, or mess up the surface on purpose in order to shake things up, and re-energize me and the process. Becoming more physical in the process often shakes something loose and reinvigorates me.

Ultimately, what works best for me, is to start a painting session with energy and enthusiasm, rather than boredom.

If you are bored with your work, maybe it is time to shake things up.

Best,

David

[ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS]

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED MIXED MEDIA FIGURE DRAWING & PAINTING

10am - 4pm

SANTA MONICA/LOS ANGELES:

January 18, Thursday (1 Space Available - Click to Enroll)
January 19, Friday (2 Spaces Available - Click to Enroll)
February 22, Thursday (Sold Out - Click to Wait List)
February 23, Friday (1 Space Available - Click to Enroll)
March 15, Thursday (Sold Out - Click to Wait List)
March 16, Friday (1 Space Available - Click to Enroll)

ATASCADERO (SLO/CENTRAL CALIFORNIA):

January 26, Friday (1 Space Available - Click to Enroll)
January 27, Saturday (1 Space Available - Click to Enroll)

Explore contemporary figure drawing, painting and mixed media using graphite, charcoal, pastel, acrylic, and collage. Experiment with different approaches for developing the human form such as realism, expressionism and abstraction. Emphasis is placed on observation, structure, line quality, volume, composition, technique, experimentation, and originality. Discussions, art historical examples, and demonstration are all a part of the curriculum.

Students work from a model and respond and manipulate their chosen mediums to arrive at a dynamic and unique solution. The focus is on... + CLICK FOR MORE.