“Launch out into the deep, if you want to catch anything.”
Vincent Van Gogh

Out Of Control

I realized something this past week about my working process. Actually, I learned something about giving myself permission.

I learned that I need to allow myself to be a bit more out of control as I make my art.

I discovered that if I let myself be more out of control while I work, I like my paintings much better.

Most of my adult artistic life has been about using my learned skills to “do it right”. And, while this has led me to produce a few technically sound paintings, it has not allowed me to produce very many artistic paintings. My work has not quite reached that emotional and expressionistic look and feel that I would love to achieve.

I have always been inspired by the artist Jim Dine saying that he “… tries to paint from my heart to my hand”.

I realized that I have been trying to paint from my head to my hand, which has not allowed me to create the emotional art that I am so desperate to create.

So… while I know that this revelation will not resonate with everyone, for now, allowing myself to be more out of control while I paint, seems to be creating a more emotional, and yes, a more abstract painting.

Being out of control for me means, not trying to control every brush stroke or pencil mark. It means letting my tools do what they naturally want to do. It means focusing more on each brush stroke and pencil mark with more energy, passion, anger, explosiveness, sensuousness, melancholy, etc. Whatever I am feeling at the time.

Feeling not thinking. That seems to be the key for me at the moment. Allowing myself to be out of control. And being OK with that.

Best,

David

[ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS]