Hello again! Happy Saturday! Because I posted something black and white for the past two days, I thought I would create something in color today. I wanted to paint something for my friends, Petra and Gunnar. It was Petra's birthday last weekend, so I wanted to make something to belatedly mark the occasion. I looked for a photo of them and then created a little painted portrait in gouache, and I made the background in Petra's favorite color, too.
I know this is not the most playful, loose, or experimental piece, so I'll return to that playfulness tomorrow. It felt good, though, to create a piece from sketch to final in a relatively short period of time. Of course, in this relatively short period of time I went through every possible feeling about my work. At first I am either nervous or excited, but partway through working on a project I am certain everything I have done is terrible and I won't be able to do it. Then I'll think I am terrible and won't be able to do it. I will either step away for a time or I'll persist, cursing under my breath and audibly sighing until once again I like what I see in front of me, relieved. If you are an artist, I know you understand this pattern well, whether or not it matches yours. Loosening up and playing is actually a challenge, as funny as that sounds. It is a privilege, of course, but it is also a challenge. And this month long project is a great way for me to strengthen my playfulness and lighten the heavy burdens of high expectations I place upon myself before I ever begin.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend, and check back to see what kind of playful mess I might unapologetically make tomorrow. :)
