An artist reflects on the challenging judgment of knowing when a painting is complete, recognizing a tendency to overwork pieces. The writer prefers an earlier, bolder stage of a mixed media figure to the over-finished result, realizing that intuition and restraint often carry more expressive power than meticulous details.
Category: Studio Process
Embracing Imperfection: Ugly On Purpose!
Artist Monette is developing a new series of expressive mixed media portraits, exploring abstraction and the beauty of imperfection. Her process, captured in progress photos, celebrates the raw, intuitive stages of creation. Embracing bold, jarring first strokes allows her to work intuitively, fostering joy and vulnerability in her artwork. She invites followers to join her creative journey on Pinterest and encourages sharing their own artistic experiences.
Mixed Media Portrait Inspiration
The artist is currently exploring mixed media portraiture to achieve greater expressiveness and abstraction. Two pieces are in progress using the Zorn palette, with plans for a brighter, more varied palette in the next series. Additionally, the artist is considering a new zine idea and maintaining a daily sketch board on Pinterest.
Expressive Mixed Media Portraits
The artist has started a new series of expressive mixed media portraits, using a texture-rich style with a limited palette of yellow ochre, ivory black, vermilion, and titanium white, inspired by the Zorn palette. The artist has added cadmium red, magenta, Naples yellow, and chartreuse green for vibrancy, creating a balance with the Zorn palette while maintaining a sense of surprise within their work.
Creative Slump? Take a Creative Detour!
The author discusses their experience with a creative slump and explores ways of overcoming it. They suggest that following other interests can be beneficial. For the author, hand-stitching and embroidery served as a refreshing break. This pause not only revived their interest in painting but also sparked new ideas, demonstrating that taking a detour can help in escaping a creative slump.