Coffee And Paint Drips Blog - Page 11 of 79

When Resistance is at Bay

PatmosGoats — Patmos Goats ©2013Dora Sislian Themelis 9×12 Watercolor

While I go on and on about not meeting the requirements of the latest challenge, something clicked inside my artist brain the last few days.

Just to keep you updated, I’ve been reading Steven Pressfield’s wonderful book on Resistance, The War of Art, again. It was a wonderful help in the past and is now.

That, and this 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Or, as I should call it, my Not 30 in 30 Challenge. Man, I am so far behind I’m not going to bother to catch up.

The thing is this: I know I want to paint, but something has to spark my imagination. Like Steven Pressfield suggests, I have to just do it, be present, sit down at the desk and be ready for the Muse/Spirit/Whatever to inspire. More about the wonderful Mr. Pressfield to come.

The garden is fading. The colorful flowers are gone, their stems are drying, everything is either green or brown now. None of my shells appealed to me. Neither did the apples I like to use. The last few paintings had apples and shells together at the beach. Ok, but now I needed something new. Some photos from my summer trip appealed to me and I chose a few to try. I sketched the scene quickly in paint and as it dried I worked in more detail, just feeling satisfaction in the process and the colors.

When Resistance is at bay synchronicity abounds. It felt really good to get something on the paper. Done.

Today I decided I wanted to paint this same scene from my photos again, but differently, going for an even sketchier feeling. The day was free, nothing on the agenda, the house was quiet, and the equipment was ready.

Pushing myself to look at the whole rather than just the subject, I dropped in paint and tried to mold the forms with color being mindful of the wet areas. Watercolor is unforgiving. To keep the work fresh I moved around the paper to drier areas. Twenty minutes and this is where I stopped. I went back to it after it dried so it has more detail than you see here.

Another day, another look-see.

Thought for Thursday

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
~Douglas Adams

The Question of Resistance

When the Muses are in a good mood, ideas come easily and the work just flows from the brain to the brush. The only thing in the way of that synchronicity is me. Getting in the studio to do that actual work, and have that wonderful flow, is the answer.

However, the question is Resistance.

There, I’ve said it once again, out loud so Mr. Resistance can hear it.

Red Lady Hydrdangeas @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis, 7x9 Watercolor, #3 30 in 30 Challenge — Red Lady Hydrdangeas @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis, 7×9 Watercolor, #3 30 in 30 Challenge

Inching my way in this 30 in 30 Challenge, as I said before, is a challenge. It’s tedious. It’s tiresome.

It’s even ridiculous that this is becoming a chore.

Enter Mr. Steven Pressfield once again to save my day! I am back to reading his book The War of Art. And somehow, with surprising timeliness, I received his newest book from his lovely publicist in the mail. It’s just what I need right at this moment.

I’ll tell you about it next post. I promise.

Thought for Thursday

“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

The Challenge is the Challenge

Wildflower Bed, 7x9 Watercolor @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis — Wildflower Bed, 7×9 Watercolor @2013 Dora Sislian Themelis

Challenges, being what they may, are quite possibly not my bag, as it seems. In my very heart of hearts I thought I could be one of those people who thrive on just such a thing. You know, those special kind of individuals who need to one-up the next guy, break out of the pack, be numero uno, go for the gold!

It’s an admirable quality, I thought, one which I might try to muster up inside myself to push harder to achieve some artistic movement toward an end.

Hello. It’s just not happening over here. Not happening.

The 30 in 30 Challenge I signed up for is not living up to my very lofty expectations. Ahem.

Might I say, without any anxiety on my part, that this is Day 16 in the challenge and the most I’ve painted is…SIX!

And you can ask me if I care. I don’t care at all. The thing is this-I should care! I signed up! I added my blog, my name, and one painting, and I should really care how it looks to the crowd of artists who number over 400 in this event and are fully participating. But I don’t feel any remorse at all.

I look at it this way:

The idea of the challenge piqued my interest
The challenge pushed me to get back to painting
I started seeing my surroundings in my dreamlike/artist way again

I win anyway.

Turning Another Leaf

The hiatus being finally over, I have taken up another challenge. This time it’s the 30 in 30 Challenge, that is 30 paintings in 30 days, the inspiration of Leslie Saeta over on her blog Slices of Life.

I know, it’s been some time since I’ve been here, and yes there was all sorts of things going on. Plenty of distractions for me to lose myself in.

You will hear about it in due time, my friends. In due time.

Until then I will leave you with my first entry in this latest painting foray. Needless to say I am already late with the goods.

Whatever.

Foliage ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis #1 in the 30/30 Challenge — Foliage ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis
#1 in the 30/30 Challenge

Results of Saying Yes – Another Art Event

Back in the saddle again. Well, sort of, kind of, not in a “new painting” kind of way. To explain, I participated in another Art Show/Sale event in my area. This time it was a two day event, but I could only attend one day because the next one was Father’s Day, and I didn’t want to disappoint The Mr. I decided to say Yes to one day, rather than No to all of it.

At my table in the Federation of Hellenic Societies Art Event

This was a fun event last year and I was happy to be able to attend this time around, even for one day. The organizers are wonderful, as well as the patrons and the fellow artists.

Luckily for me I sold some work again. I brought along some smaller pieces of various Greek scenes which excited one shopper. She bought two of these paintings, one of which you can see propped up nearest myself. While we were talking she remarked that these paintings drew her in and spoke to her. Wow, was my remark!

On the off chance someone would be interested in my jewelry, I set out some bracelets and a couple of them sold as well. Even notecards sold, and I hesitated showing them, too.

The lesson here is When in Doubt, Do. I usually Do Not.

My go-to response had been No, but in the recent past I read the default answer should be Yes, and take it from there. Reluctantly, I said Yes this time.

Yes ends up being the answer when I try to go around it. My nature is to start by saying No. When No no longer works I have to move on to Yes.

Yes takes work. Yes takes time. Yes takes energy. Yes causes anxiety.

No does all those same things, but creates other issues that cause much more anxiety. Maybe I’m better off saying Yes first, and think about it later.

Resistance Set Up Roadblocks, Or Did I Do That?

Happy Monday, friends! Remember when I was up against a long, on going argument with Mr. Resistance? Well, it’s still on. And it’s on with a vengeance. Is it possible to ever get out of this hole I’ve found myself in?

One thing leads to another, and the next, and the other, and before you know it-down the rabbit hole with only a tiny view of the sky above. It’s my own fault. I let it happen. I get involved in other things and my own stuff gets pushed aside.

Call it procrastination. Call it resistance. Call it lazy. Well, I wouldn’t call it lazy, but I know there’s another word for it out there. I am, by no means, a lazy person. Not at all. However, I do stand in my own way. That’s resistance.

It seems that reading all the books in the world, trying all the tricks in the books, can’t help an artist like me when in deep distraction.

So okay, here it is, you’re probably thinking: Finally, she’s going to tell me what is going on. Right?

I put up with a good amount of resistance most days, which is my usual thing. I’ve even been good at beating it back lately. All good. This time of year I volunteer at my church for their big Greek festival, in the flea market with a friend. We get along great. The flea market is a lot of fun, but it’s work, taking all week to prepare. We really enjoy it. A group of ladies help us open bags or boxes of all manner of stuff and we ooh and ahh, and sometimes we turn our heads in horror. Other people’s discards can be treasures, and plenty of it is just plain old trash.

It was fun and now it’s over. To most people it means getting back to work. To the resistant Me, it means more resistance.

Does it make any sense to you?

Another roadblock I’ve allowed myself to stumble over is setting up a mailing list thing. I know it’s important to do. I know it’s benefits. I can’t get it done. And I’ve let the church festival take the fall for it.

Yeah, I blame the festival for my non-mailing list, and for my non-painting. And while we’re at it, I’ll blame the festival for keeping me from blogging here, updating anything, keeping you in my loop, and general anything.

Mr. Resistance is enjoying all of this right now, I know it.

Back to the War of Art: Resistance and Procrastination

“Procrastination is the most common manifestation of Resistance because it’s the easiest to rationalize. We don’t tell ourselves, ‘I’m never going to write my symphony.’ Instead we say, ‘I am going to write my symphony; I’m just going to start tomorrow.'”~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Don’t you just love that thought? Sounds like the stories my brain tells my inner-child-artist. Yes I’m totally going to get my stuff together and paint, but maybe just not right now. Today I have this, and I have that, and those things. Tomorrow is going to be THE day.

Yeah, right.

Monday, and I Made it

Monday morning at the computer. Finally.

After a hiatus, resulting from the wonderful Mr. Resistance hanging around, I was able to push a little work to get some things moving. Cleaning and organizing the studio (not really) helps, sometimes.

Cagey? Yes. There’s a lot going on here. Easter in the Orthodox church, came late this year, on the same day as Cinco de Mayo and a family member’s birthday, all at once. The following week was Mother’s Day. Next up is graduations, Memorial Day weekend, and from the holiday weekend to the next is that massive Flea Market in the Greek Festival at our church.

Painting? Unless I’m a wizard, wave my magic paint brush, and paint something in a quick twenty minutes like I used to do, it ain’t happening any time soon.

But photography did occur. And since I can’t figure out how to post here from my phone, I needed to use the desktop.

Here I am! Voila!

Azaleas in Bloom ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis