Floral Finish

Floral Finish
February 8, 2010
16" x 20"
Oil on Canvas

$350.00 CAN

Well, what can I say... January was a hard month. Good, but hard. I was so revved up by the last floral painting that I thought I could really turn this into about a 4-5 painting series. Nope. Not going to do it. Don't want to.

I started this painting at the very beginning of January. I mapped it all out and I was going to give a demo on how to finish a painting. Which is ironic at how it took me, over a month to actually finish it! Usually I finish a painting within a day or two a week at tops, and that is statistically speaking. That's not just the optimist coming out in me. It's fact. Since I had already completed one floral painting technically this one was suppose to just come flying off the easel. I knew the colors, composition, the process, everything was all ready to go. It should have been no problem. Well, it was like pulling teeth! I just didn't want to do it anymore. When I got to the demo, we broke out into a great conversation about general artist practices and I kind of stopped painting and really didn't feel the need to go on. After the demo I would go into my studio look this tedious painting and sigh. It just didn't excite me. I would put in a few strokes here and there and then I would get bored. I never thought I would ever say that about painting. I almost feel like I am swearing. It's awful. I hated this painting for a whole month, that is just the relationship we had. One night I had to chose between doing laundry or painting this floral entity, and I chose laundry, my arch nemesis -laundry! Something was really wrong with me.

My personal life had been very crazy over the holidays and it did drain me. But, and there is a but because I finished the painting and I think it turned out alright. I went into the studio last night and I thought hey I'll just pick up the brush and see where this sucker goes. If I am going to trash it I mind as well have fun doing it. I put on happy peppy music and had at her. The key was remembering why the hell I paint in the first place. That's right I absolutely love it! It's fun! I love the process of it. It gives me the most indescribable feeling. For a while I couldn't seem to find that 'zone' that I normally get lost in. I found it. It was here the whole time, in my back pocket.

So, if you are in a funk my advice (and I always seem to have some) is to work through it, no matter how painful. You might get something out of the whole stinking process.

After I finished this painting, I found myself on a role and couldn't stop. I had time and energy and all the supplies at hand. I had no excuse to stop and all the drive to keep going. So, I started a new painting. I love it and I can't wait to finish it. I have said it before and I will always say it again, On and Up!