New Mantra

This week I realized that I needed a new mantra. Wow! Really? Maybe I should share my old mantra and then I’ll share my new one? But first, I want to welcome new readers and share the purpose of this blog and post today. So here goes!

Small Spaces Special Places

Each year, I select a theme for my weekly paintings. For instance, this year’s is “Small Spaces Special Places.” One reason for this theme is I have been surprised, even delighted, with the small spaces in our house that have captured my eye.

Then, there are the special places I see on my daily dog walks here in Raleigh. Each morning, rain or shine, I love getting outdoors and looking for special places to paint. Sometimes, we venture on the road and I expect to share paintings of special places from these trips, too.

Most weeks, I also share an exercise, book and/or a painter who inspires my work. If you know someone who you think might enjoy a weekly dose of color, with a dash of art history, please encourage them to sign up here for this weekly blog. And, heads up, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You’ll see this in a link or two below. Let’s get to the colorful stuff and the old mantra first, shall we?

Old Mantra

Whenever I try something new and/or challenging, I call up the mantra I used when I ran a marathon. That mantra saved me on so many long runs. Ready for it? “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can. I know I can.” Anyone know the book that served up these great words? It’s The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (Affiliate link). I could write a whole separate blog post about why this book inspired me but we’ll save that for another time.

Plein Airpril

I’m writing this post for you to receive on April 15th. Wow – we’ll be halfway through April then. Can you believe it? And I will be half way through a personal challenge of posting a plein air (outdoor) painting everyday on Instagram. Last week, I wrote a bit about the challenges of learning something new. And, a few days ago, I realized that I was still in a bit of a funk about progress in this new painting challenge.

Two Things

But then two things happened. I treated myself to a book I have wanted to get for ages called “Compostion of Outdoor Painting” by Edgar Payne (Affiliate link). I have only just started to read it but I am already excited by it. Stay tuned for future posts on that.

And, I came across paintings and a talk by a fantastic artist named Adriano Farinella. Check out his incredible cloud paintings here. Aren’t they gorgeous? But what’s even more beautiful is a talk he gave entitled “I am not a plein air painter.” Nearly everything he said resonated with me. I realized that I was fighting against feeling that I am a beginner plein air painter. But as soon as I got comfortable with that idea, I felt a shift.

Even if you are not a painter, I think you will find his talk relevant. Seriously, whether you are a teacher or a writer or a freelance employed or unemployed or transitioning to a new phase person. There are pearls in his talk that will inspire you. I promise!

And, I also decided to use the mantra he suggests during my daily outdoor painting sessions.

New Mantra

He suggests saying “Be Present. Be Mindful. Be Aware. Paint.” Ahhh! What a wonderful way to keep focused and present. Because really that’s all each and every one of us can do, right?

I feel more comfortable knowing that I am on a path. And, I am so grateful to be on this path right now.

Today

Today I was lucky enough to paint on the campus of a nearby high school. The weather was perfect. I had a clear view of the tree I wanted to paint. Here’s the set up and view.

I forged ahead with the daily plan I have been following since April 1: graphite sketch, two timed value studies and two timed color sketches. The hope and plan is that these short 10 minute studies will help me develop the ability to quickly assess what I’m seeing. My goal is to use confident brush strokes with clear values and colors. Once I am through the month of April, I will revisit my favorite trees and paint longer paintings in oil. EEE! Yippee!

In the meantime, here’s the quick graphite drawing I did today.

Anticipation

In anticipation of these longer paintings, I am learning something else new. That is, I am preparing my own panels for oil paintings. I am super excited about having more control over the dimensions of the surface. And, I really enjoy the lightweight and archival nature of this substrate called ACM (Aluminum Composite Material). So bye bye stretcher bars and linen and hello beautiful panels. I still have to sand and apply several more coats of gesso on these babies. But you can see this project in process in the photo below.

What’s new with you

What about you gentle reader? How are you doing? Have you found a new mantra to help you forge a difficult but rewarding path? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!