process Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Dora Sislian Themelis Art

Back to Monday and Painting

Monday could not come soon enough this week. What a busy, hectic few days I’ve had. The traditional Greek dance competition this weekend made my head spin with everything going on. Plus which the kids I teach had to perform, so making sure they knew their stuff was on my mind. They were great, though. I really didn’t need to worry. As they say, practice makes perfect!

And that leads us back to painting! Practice, process, same thing.

The next painting was started last week, when I had a life. Okay, I’m being dramatic, but really, painting is the thing that ends up being pushed aside. Now, I don’t want to get into the “if I had to go to a real job” thing. However, the reality is that painting isn’t the priority, nor am I the person bringing home the bacon with my artwork. Maybe some day, but not now, so it has to wait.

It’s first on the to-do list and it will happen. Just not exactly when I want it to happen. It’s fine.

Another work begins

Here’s the next work on deck. Another still life watercolor painting of veggies. Shapes and colors if I squint at the small section of reference photo.

Darks and lights. Small size, short and sweet. Works for me.

Too Busy to Breathe

The next time something comes up I just have to say no. Enough with the word yes. How is it that I get myself involved in things where I find myself so busy? Busy is not even the word for it. One thing after another, and there’s no breathing room.

But how can I say no? It’s too late, I’ve already said yes. Just go with it. It will pass and there will be time for me soon enough.

This weekend is a Greek dance event I agreed to help with, so now I’m busy with that. Maybe once it’s over I can relax, until our annual festival comes up. Another thing I say yes to.

Can’t I just paint in my little art studio? Can’t I just sit and knit in my cozy corner? Or read my book? Or daydream?

Well, I did find an hour or so to paint. I’m so dizzy with to-do’s I couldn’t decide what to paint. Whatever comes from the process of painting will have to do until I can think clearly and focus.

I played with those veggie photos again and came up with this small section to paint. Interesting colors and shapes in a weird composition, but let’s see where it leads. I’m too busy to paint larger than this and it’s fine. Then again, if I did start a large piece I could work on it a little at a time.

No, too much pressure. We will keep it simple for now.

Finished on Friday

Finished! Done! Next!

This watercolor painting had me going, I almost trashed it, then I decided to just stop working it. There comes a time when you have to stop yourself from going over the cliff when I can’t help myself. I am notorious at painting way too long on a work.

Bouquet ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

It’s finished.

What’s next? I have no idea right now. I’m just so glad this one is done, I can’t even discuss this any further. Blah.

Painting is Addictive

There is something about painting, for me lately anyway, that makes me want to keep doing it. The more I paint, the more I want to paint. It’s addictive, like knitting socks. Yeah, you sock knitters out there know what I’m talking about. Painting is like knitting socks. Is that weird?

Painting. The action of painting draws me in and keeps me there. The house could burn down and I wouldn’t be able to stop painting. Well, not really, but you get my idea.

I finished this last work in the small amount of time I had between dinner and a meeting I had to attend. Maybe I spent twenty five minutes on the last details in that time. Then I was done. That was it. No more working it, or it would be trash, as usual.

Peppers ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

After I uploaded the finished painting, I thought I’d just show you the start that I posted on another day. While I was looking at this photo I began to imagine painting the whole scene, unfinished painting and all the rest. It was such a strange feeling, that pull to paint even my desk and brushes. Weird.

It’s not like I haven’t done that before. Like the times I draw my own fingers holding my ink pen and sketchbook as I draw while waiting at the allergist’s office. It feels as if I’m looking in a mirror and seeing not only my image, but everything around the mirror. Okay, that’s enough of that.

The point is, I’m working the process. Those affirmations I look at every day must be summoning the Universe so that It is favorable to my creative thoughts. The thought becomes the thing.

Yeah, that’s it.

To-Do List Anxiety

There’s no way everything can get done at once. Just no way. The anxiety of a long to-do list is exhausting. Even getting some painting done isn’t going to happen in a snap. Maybe a series of snaps.

With the roof work taking forever (in my mind) and other things needing my attention, I get stressed. What can I do first, second, next, until I’m done? It’s a problem.

Next session

I solve the problem by diligently crossing off each item on my list as they were done. It’s a visual thing and it makes me feel as if I’ve accomplished something. Painting is always on that list first.

Rarely do I paint first. And rarer is the day I paint first thing in the morning. That never happens, except this week. Somehow I ended up in my studio in the morning and decided I had enough time to clean up some of this work before the day started in.

The darks were added to define some of the areas I felt needed some guidance. Now it’s starting to look like something I’m comfortable with. For a while I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue, but I remembered it’s the PROCESS!

So in the “process” I can’t find a recently purchased tube of yellow watercolor paint. Oh nice, now I have to go shopping for paint I already have somewhere here. I need it.

See that nice light yellow color in the leaves of basil? Yup, that’s what I need to buy now.

Painting, Process is #1

The relative lull of the after dinner hour has been holding some powerful stuff lately. What is it about this time of my day that I’ve been able to do some good work? Forget about the product. The process seems to have great momentum in this evening hour.

Let me just say up front, I am a morning person. I am wide eyed awake at 6AM most mornings, but that doesn’t mean I can work on painting at that time. Nope, the early morning is for coffee, the newspaper, and the Morning Pages, in that order too.

I plan my day after these things are finished. First thing on my list is painting. Again, that doesn’t mean painting happens first. It’s listed first and it usually happens later, after the house is in order and any running around I might need to do is done.

Yes, painting is on the list, baby. Every single day.

Okay, so I get to it after lunch, so what? I am grateful to the muse who makes me list it #1, because if that didn’t happen, painting might not happen at all.

So life must be in order for the muse to visit me in my studio that day. Just like a Virgo, right?

I cropped another section of a larger photograph to make this painting. If I have any idea of getting some quick work done, it’s going to have to be a smaller piece. For right now this is working for me. It’s not twenty minutes, but rather almost an hour’s worth of work. Even possibly an hour. When I start working I lose track of the time unless I’ve set my timer. An hour sounds right this time.

The different colors next to each other are very interesting to me. I love the tumble of shapes. Okay, so they’re vegetables and fruits, there’s color, dark against light, everything I feel good working with.

The paper is great, the paints are delicious, and I’m painting. What else is there?

Process, baby. Just the process!

Another Quick One Down

Someone kick me next time I decide to edit my blog posts from the iPad. Every time I do that I lose my whole post! What a stupid thing!

I wanted to edit the size of this painting. After I had a chance to take a look at the actual size I remembered I posted the wrong size here. Off to the iPad to make the corrections and Boom! no post. Yeah, that made me really happy.

If I remember I said I didn’t plan on painting the evening I worked on this. I just had about an hour to spend before I fell to exhaustion, so I went to my studio to look at what I wanted to work on next. Before I knew it I had cropped a larger photo into this segment, filled my pan with water and began sketching this painting.

Did I say it lasted almost an hour? Yes, almost an hour went by and this was done, done, done!

I am on a roll over here. Thank you to the art muse for keeping me in the game.

Next time, no editing from iPad, okay?

Determined Painting Day

Since I blew last weekend, and my week, there was no way I was going to allow myself to blow this weekend too. Painting was going to happen no matter what. And painting is what I did.

A free Sunday without distractions is what I desperately needed to paint and get up to speed with the online class. As soon as The Mr. left the house, and Son#2, I went to the studio to get the painting going.

Take a look at my progress. There’s something about taking a photograph of my work that helps me step back and see it better. I was determined to finish this today. Working around the painting, I moved from the wet areas to dry spots to keep going. And I took a lunch break, and a quick break to read over my class lessons. Plenty of time for the work to dry.

Let me show you where I’m working. My little basement studio has a window at least. The lousy light still isn’t fixed, but I have my desk lamp for light. I had to aim the beam up to keep the glare off my wet painting. Oh, what we do for art!

Here’s another view of the lamp and my desk. Since I made some revisions in the room it’s much more comfortable to work in.

Stay tuned for F.P. to come. Uh, Finished Product, that is.