Category: painting

Off on Tangents, but Painting Happened Nontheless

My day began with a bang. Not really a bang, but maybe there’s another word for it. I was minding my own business pouring my second cup of coffee on a nice, quiet morning. I reached for the half and half, yes I like half and half, and started to squeeze the carton. Let me explain, I get a carton and open the folded and sealed top to form a spout and then I close it up. If I squeeze the carton a nice small stream of milk comes out. Nice and neat.

Well SOMEBODY opened the carton for the spout, and I, unknowingly (not paying attention), pour it out all over my lap, my tablecloth, and my coffee. I started to think to myself that this may not be my day, and it was only 8A.M.

I went along my day. Farmer’s market, supermarket, bank, etc. Errands. I thought I might not get to paint, but I knew I had been losing my fight with Mr. Resistance and, bad day or not this was going to be it.
What do you know? I had run out of the large size watercolor paper I had been using.

 Now what? I really didn’t want to use the travel pad and my subject was going to be too big for the small Arches block. Great. I opened up the small block and now I see I need a spatula to get the protective paper off. I trudge to my basement studio, where the light still doesn’t work, and fetch the tool.

Now what? Phone call from The Mr. about some computer problem. I trudge back to the basement and the computer, flip it on and we discuss. Ok. I passed the kitchen and remembered I wanted to roast some peppers I had. So I go at that, almost forgetting my painting outside.

Then I think I should have painted these peppers, but now they’re all cut up. Bright idea: take photos, and add a shiny platter for contrast. That’ll show that book deal guy I can paint Greek themed stuff. Right.

I’m all finished with the peppers, put them in the oven after their photo shoot and remember I was supposed to be painting. I go back to the basement to get another watercolor block. While I’m running around my house I am thinking that I must be some crazy kind of idiot, going off on tangents, not getting anything done.

Finally, I get myself to my painting set-up and sketch out my idea. I wanted to paint from the photos of the sunflowers from the farm. I sketched out the subjects and started getting into it when I remember I had peppers roasting in the oven. Shades of my turkey debacle from a couple of weeks ago.

I run to my kitchen, remove the peppers that were not burned and returned to painting. Now can I get down to business? Yes, I did and I am happy to say it felt good.

Sunflowers Outside (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
12×16 Watercolor on Lanaquarelle paper

Prepare to be Creative

Where did I find the time to even read this week? With everything that goes on around here, I’ve been hard pressed to find time to paint, much less read anything beyond the daily newspaper. Yes, I still read a real paper.

I love to read. I will read anything, books being my favorite. The heftier the better. When I was doing the Artists Way course we were not allowed to read. The idea was that reading takes away creative time and could be used as an excuse not to paint. I get that, but I’m sorry, somewhere in the day I need reading time.

On with The Creative Habit. I’m still on the first chapter and it’s a good read so far. The author, Twyla Tharp, suggests creative people need to work at it to develop artistic habits. Makes sense. It’s our job, our work, our being. So why is it so hard to keep in the creative loop? Well, she points to Mozart as an example. Boy genius or workaholic?

His father Leopold had massive influence as he was famous himself, but Wolfgang worked harder than no one else on his music. He had a fierce focus and was constantly at work. Nobody had to tell him to go practice as it was his passion. If he could do it, what’s up with the rest of us?

We’re not prepared, for one thing, so we lose our focus. Tharp notes:”In order to be creative you have to know how to prepare to be creative.” We need our subject matter, our content and we can learn to make it habit, and that is a skill. Routines feed into creativity. “Everything is relevant. Everything is useable. Everything is raw material. But without preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use it. Without the time and effort invested in getting ready to create, you can be hit by the thunderbolt and it’ll just leave you stunned.”

Routine is the first step to ritual. Automatic, divisive patterns of behavior are vital to establishing a habit. Something that makes your brain click in, just before you plan to chicken out. The ritual “eliminates the question, Why am I doing this?” It also teases the notion of whether or not you feel like doing anything. We need to decide what daily ritual helps the brain click in and say Now I’m ready.

So, is it the daily sketch, the music we chose for painting time, lighting a candle, or the moment of quiet thought before we begin that signals the start of the ritual? As I face the blank, white canvas, alone in my solitude I need to think to myself “What’s in it for me?”

Stay tuned..

The Creative Habit

As I was saying, I bought this book a while ago and haven’t had much time to read it. The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp, was recommended by some other artists as a great way to fight resistance and develop a routine for creativity.

I read The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, about a year ago and really enjoyed it. Most of the tasks were doable and a couple of them have become things I can’t do without now. One of the tasks was to write three pages of free thought, in pen on paper, every morning. I have kept at that one and filled quite a few marble notebooks. The other task which I haven’t kept up is the weekly Artist Date. Finding time to keep a date with myself to do a small fun thing was a great idea which I have neglected.

I don’t think you can call a walk with my granddaughter in the carriage an Artist Date, but it was wonderful anyway! I’m almost all alone, she is only six months old, but she does have a personality and makes little noises. So it’s not really the idea. Some of the other tasks were annoying and I didn’t bother doing them. Some I would like to try to do the next free day I have.

Anyway, I started reading this book and from the first page I was hooked. The first chapter begins with this “I walk into a white room”. Immediately thoughts of sitting in front of a blank canvas flash through my mind. I know how it feels to face the canvas or the paper, and think: now what?

Twyla Tharp is a world class dancer and choreographer. For her to admit it’s terrifying to start something new is unsettling. What’s it like for the rest of us if she has doubts?

She writes:

“Some people find this moment-the moment before creativity begins-so painful that they simply cannot deal with it. They get up and walk away from the computer, the canvas, the keyboard; they take a nap or go shopping or fix lunch or do chores around the house. They procrastinate. In its most extreme form, this terror totally paralyzes people.”

I can relate to that. The idea that creativity can be something we can make a habit of is interesting to me. I could use a good kick of “habit.” I can blame everything around me and procrastinate all day, but in the end it’s only me here. I am working art in as best I can.

We can always learn a new trick to keep it fresh. If routine is the thing, and I could always use a new way to keep it up, I am there. Being ready with the materials I’m happy to use will be the other half of the battle. New paints are in the plan. Next up, a new routine.

I will let you know how it goes once I get rolling. Be sure of that.

The Intention was Good, but..

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” 

It seems there is a question as to who first made this statement. I really don’t care who said it. It reminds me of something my father would say though, so I kind of like it. I think it makes a weird sort of sense. Just imagine what it means. People thinking they’re doing good things, but they are actually digging themselves into a hole. That’s how it comes off to me.

Well, it was running through my head between Sunday and today, Monday. By the way, today is the first day of the 40 day fast of Lent, also known as Clean Monday. Yesterday, the last Sunday before Lent begins was the Sunday of Forgiveness in the Orthodox calendar. The Orthodox calendar coincides with the Roman Catholic calendar for Easter this year. Every now and then it happens to be celebrated the same weeks. Just makes the days more difficult and heavy with stuff. I’m busy as it is and now Lent?

But back to good intentions, of which I had many for Sunday. I had the day to myself and planned to paint again. Quiet house, rain and cold outside, and me with my paints. Did it happen? No. Not even for twenty minutes. See? I said I had intention, and it was a good one, except I shot it all to hell by doing nothing. It happens.

A while back, maybe around this time last year, Son#1 had it out with someone whose intentions may have seemed good to them. I said, may have, because the ranting that this person aimed at my son didn’t end up well. All this time later that individual found themselves in a position where they had to apologize for their terrible behavior and awful display. Next time shut up, and don’t shoot yourself in the foot by flipping out. People are strange. Okay, whatever.

I didn’t flip out. I just didn’t do what I had intended to do. I blew it for Sunday, and today too. It’s too late to salvage the rest of today. By the time I post this the sun will have gone down and my reserves are depleted. No painting will happen today.

But I meant well.

Painting Time

I made it here at the blog today! I didn’t sleep well, knowing I had to rise earlier than usual to take Sons #1 and #2 to the airport for a weekend thing the oldest is doing in California. The weather is mild here in New York and I hope it’s comfortable there, but I hear it’s raining.  Anyway, I’m tired.

After my amazing day with the Princess I had painting time. Oh, and for the record, every day with the Princess is amazing. Back to painting.

With apples in the house I decided to set up two of them with some bits of broken shells from my last time at the beach. I knew I would want to use them so I put them in my travel paint kit. Great light, pleasing subjects, and time. This time I planned to use the whole paper and paint just a little larger than I have lately. And I penciled in my shapes and shadows. Would you believe I need to replace the half pans of color in this travel set? When am I going to get myself together and use the large palette? Sometimes I think I’m lazy, but is it that or is it I’m just so impulsive that way? Either it’s readily available or painting doesn’t happen. What a whack job.

I worked over the twenty minute mark this time around, but tried to keep the colors, lights, and darks, true. Didn’t want to over work this one, again. Oh and just so you know, I decided to move on from the last piece. I was over it. New day, new work. Done.

Wet paint needed some drying time so I left it alone to do some other things and look at it as I passed by. I knew I needed to clear up some areas and when I could, I did.

Apples with Shell Bits (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
Watercolor on Arches paper

This is it. I am finished with it. I have a question for you more experienced watercolorists out there though. Does watercolor paper need to be sized before using? As in wetting the paper thoroughly and leaving it to dry for use later? I’ve been using a block of Arches 140lb cold press paper and have not been going over it with water first. When I want to paint a fine line of color it seems to resist. It’s not beading up, just not flowing over the paper smoothly, sort of like skipping. Large blotches of color gets absorbed easy and it seems I don’t have much control. Is it me? Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this.

I’m finished with this one too. I signed it and I’m done. Let’s see where I go next session.

The Operative Word is Yes

I’ve been thinking of entering the 100 Paintings Challenge. I won’t lie, I’m scared to begin and I don’t know why. This year I have fought with resistance to creating art and been winning most of the time. Reading The Artist’s Way helped quite a lot. Doing the tasks, writing Morning Pages without fail, pushing myself to be a parent to my inner child artist helped me to find inspiration and motivation. Another book, The War of Art, had more ideas and thoughtful quips for finding the muse and working on creativity. I’ve just found The Creative Spirit, by Twyla Tharp which is supposed to be good, too, but haven’t read it yet. I will let you know how it is when I do.

Finding the blog, The Twenty Minute Challenge, nudged me to find twenty minutes in a busy day to paint. A while back I was playing with just fifteen minutes in the studio which was productive. Doing 20 minutes, to begin and finish a work, was even better. Ding! and you have to stop. I was usually finished with my work by the time the timer rang. Fifteen minutes a day, or twenty for that matter, can help push along a larger project, which I have done. Much can be accomplished in small chunks of time as long as I don’t have to have a wrestling match with resistance, which could derail my efforts for a lot longer.

In comes the latest push, nudge, dangling carrot on a stick, the 100 Paintings, and I’m tempted. That little bad boy on my shoulder says “Why do you want to do that? People are going to have things to say. You’re busy as can be lately and you will never have the time to do 10 pieces, never mind 100” and on. Then again, the good girl on the other shoulder tells me “Why not? If you had taken up the challenge a long while ago you would already have 25 or more paintings in the mix and be excited to keep going.” So goes my discourse in the Morning Pages. Thank goodness I write those pages. Who wants to hear all this stuff that goes on in my head? Why this, why that, why not?

So why don’t I just jump in and sign up? What’s with the commitment phobia? The lovely fellow artists/bloggers are so nice at encouraging me to do it and I’m hedging.

But this being a Monday, and I love Mondays, I am tempted to just say yes. I read something in the past that said whenever there is a question, the answer, the operative word, should be Yes. So I think, hedge-hedge, the answer is Yes. I will. I accept the challenge. Now all I have to do is go over to the blog and begin. It’s still scary.

A New Year Ahead Without Resolving Anything

I apologize, once more, for the delay in posting here. It’s been a rough few weeks of holidays and it isn’t over yet. Soon, soon.

And so what about resolutions for the new year? Who is and who isn’t doing them? I can tell you that I’m opting out. No resolutions for me. Why? Because I never do them. Everyone wants to lose weight, exercise more, be a better person, and on. I could try to do so many things and fall flat a month from now so I’m not going to bother thinking about it.

The one thing I will do is break my day into 15 to 20 minutes chunks of time. As this past year has shown me, I can do anything for 15 minutes. Whether it’s organizing/cleaning my space, painting, or some other activity, I can slowly get something done and finished if I make tiny goals. The huge to-do list will be tackled that way. One thing at a time and in small bites.

Last year I read Walking in This World, by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. I loved every minute of reading the latter, never walked with the former, which I had hoped would become a habit. Nope! Didn’t happen. So forget it. If I start walking it will be a miracle. And I would have to wake up at 5A.M. to get everything in before my granddaughter comes for the day. I read somewhere that I could walk out of my house for 7 minutes and return, making the trip 15 minutes of walking. I can’t get to do that either. I know, I’m a slug. I own the next installment of this series of anti-resistance courses so let’s see where that goes.

Same thing with painting, but I think I need to move on past the 20 minutes I had allotted myself. Maybe I can try it on a larger work? Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it. Twenty minutes was working out well and maybe I will just keep it just like that.

If I can cross off some things from the to-do list once a month I’ll be thrilled. Small goals, one at a time should become my mantra.

Like posting here on the blog. I have so much to put out here, but by the time I have time I realize I didn’t take photos, forgot my thoughts, I’m too tired to type or think. But if I could be awake for 15 minutes, maybe something can show itself here.

As far as being a better person? I think I’m the best I’m going to be right now. Maybe when I grow up I’ll decide to be someone else, but for now you’re stuck with me.