fearless Creating: Day Three

"Pears"

8"x10"

$50

 I have been very conscientious about "hushing", enough that my poor husband was a bit unnerved and asked if he had done anything wrong--as in why was I giving him the silent treatment.  I explained that I was "hushing"--I was thinking and non-thinking and painting in my head.  (He is a writer, so he understood immediately.  I just forgot to tell him I would be dropping out now and again.)

Now for the second part of "hushing" which is "holding".  Holding is described as "following your idea".

"...once you nurture your wish to create, once you hush and go into these periodic trances in which ideas gestate, you will begin to possess emergent ideas which, in order to grow in vivacity, must themselves be nurtured.  

You hold precious both the feeling of working and these nascent ideas.

Work is happening underneath, in this place of inner quiet (which is also a wild place), but work is not happening independently of you.  You are holding it:  giving it space, giving it a container, offering it life."

I am nurturing the idea of beautiful marks.  Each brushstroke is meaningful, in and of itself.  Each brushstroke must be a beautiful mark, not just a technical tool to create a wash or layer values.  Every time my brush touches the page, I try to leave a mark that if made on a fresh sheet of paper would be pleasing to look at.  It's a tall order and I can see where this "idea" could easily overwhelm and over-complicate a painting.  It feels like conducting a symphony--each note must be beautifully played and layer together to create a harmonious whole.  I know there will be a lot of missteps and discarded paper but when it works,  I love it!

"Apples"

8"x10"

$50

"Filling a space in a beautiful way.  That is what art means to me."

Georgia O'Keeffe