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Tales from the Hive: V1-3: Intuitive Painting
Aug 2, 2016
When I attend workshops, I try to force myself to explore and not revert back to things that I already feel like I do well. My objective is not to leave with finished pieces, but to explore the facets of the medium I’m working with.
One workshop that I took a lot away from is Attune and Release with Amanda Jolley. Intuitive painting is, in Amanda’s words, a process where you lay down the paint — colours you’re drawn to — with no expectations, no judgement, only joy. I think it will be particularly useful when I’m feeling stuck, when I don’t like where a piece is going, and want to move in a new direction. It’s also a really relaxing process where I can just let my mind wander and not worry about achieving a particular look or feel.
A key component of the workshop was to take photographs with a digital camera after each application of paint. This provides a really interesting glimpse into the evolution of the painting.
The photo documentation helped me to be brave and to overcome the reluctance I usually feel about covering something that I like. With some pieces I can’t bring myself to keep painting for fear that I may not like what follows. But holding back can limit the potential of the painting. With this process, I became confident that I could recall and recreate an element in the paintings’ journey, even when it is no longer visible by the end.
I’d like to share the journey of one painting that had a strong beginning, and ugly middle, and a very pleasing end. If I let myself become too attached at the start, I would have taken this in an entirely different direction. It would have been safer, but would not have yielded this kind of dynamic result.
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