There is a voice that doesn’t use words: listen!
Rumi
For me, painting is primarily an intuitive process. The colours I choose and the marks I make seem to come from somewhere deep inside. The less intentional I am when I’m creating, the more energetic and satisfying the experience is. (And hopefully the more appealing the final painting is to viewers!)
Lately that internal voice has been urging me to paint bigger. I can tell because larger sheets of paper keep appearing on my work table, and when I paint 6 x 6 and 8 x 8 inch boards, I begin by taping them into a larger shape, working across them as if they’re an individual surface.
Rather than ignoring that voice, and continuing to paint the way I’ve become comfortable painting, I’m leaning into discomfort and growth. My focus for the rest of the summer (and likely the fall as well), will be experimenting with larger surfaces, bigger tools and learning to be a little less stingy with paint ;-).
Last week I started a new series of canvases. Although they’re not huge, at 16 x 20 inches, they feel much more expansive than my little boards. To ease my way into making bigger marks, I began by applying layers of collage. These paper pieces helped me find structure and composition before I started to add paint. A completely different process than I’ve used previously, but one that felt completely appropriate and natural for these new works.
Of course, modifying my usual process for starting a painting required an entirely new palette; somehow orange, pink and purple seem more ‘appropriate’ for this size than my usual cool blues and greens.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll have seen the starts pictured below, as well as the progress that I’ve made since (they look a lot different now!). And possibly the addition of some 12 x 12 boards that wanted to join the party…
I’d love to hear your experiences with scaling up your artwork. What’s one tip you’d give me as I continue my explorations?
