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Message
Posted
Hi everyone
Does anyone else experience periods in their painting journey, where, your sort of going along quite nicely, learning lots and producing okay pictures, and then suddenly wham,
There's a period where it all appears to be going backwards very quickly- and it seems nothing you do goes right, colours, tones etc.
Am going through this at the moment and have noticed it's happened before- it's quite difficult to keep confidence up during these times-
I usually just 'paint' my way through it- but this ones quite a tough one!
And wondered if others experience this also, and how you deal with it
Happy days
Rachel Wood
Posted
Absolutely I do Rachel, I’m sure that we all do at times.
Dealing or overcoming it will be down to the individual artist, I generally take a few days off, or even longer away from the studio - this often does the trick!
My advice, and this is what I do, is to get out and about (locally of course), with my sketchbook and camera and try and get as much potentially workable material to take back home.
Then I find my enthusiasm has returned and I’m excited to get started with my painting again, having a wealth of ideas and inspiration to hand.
I know that you paint much of your work plein air, so some of my advice may not be so relevant to your situation.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Hi Rachel all of us at some point go through a period of non creativity. I think it’s happening more over the last year due to the situation we are all facing with the lockdowns and restrictions. Even if you are out painting alone your stimulated by the environment and the occasional person looking at your work and commenting. I have over the last year had lean periods when I’ve not felt motivated enough to paint, rather than do nothing i set my self some challenges. I do sketch every day and more when I’m not in the mood to paint I have also done colour sketch , by time limiting my self I get something done quickly and it help focus on what you need to put on paper. The thing that happen by chance was I contacted a fellow artist on site and from this we have developed a mutual support network this was not the original reason for contacting . It works well as it small enough and not intrusive . What I’m saying in a long winded way is link up with a friend who paints, and chat regularly about what your doing we use email. The other thing is don’t worry as this causes more anxiety and blocking of your creativity .
Posted
Hi Rachel, join the club. I’ve had periods of feeling I’m in a hole, and I just keep digging! I’ve found it difficult in these lockdowns to get inspiration. What I do in these cases, is walk away from it for a while. I’ve even left it for almost a month!
The inspiration does return, it just takes a small spark to set it off. I’m sure you’ll find that tiny spark soon.
Posted
Yep - I've just had a prolonged period of block, but am coming out of it now - I have too much to do in a voluntary job, which has been getting in the way as well. But painting is like a series of plateaux, I think: you reach one, stay there for a while, and then you might climb up to another; and then over time another. But you can also get stuck on one of them, and lose confidence that you're ever going to get better, while getting bored with where you happen to be. I think this happens to all of us - I've known a good few painters in my time, all of whom seem to have this trouble, or this process; most of us have our tricks to get over it - leaving the work for a while; buying paint, so we have an impetus to make use of it; listening to the kind of music that clicks with the creative part of the brain; realizing that the world isn't going to grind to a halt just because we're not painting right now; taking a holiday and a change of scene (ho ho: not exactly possible right now!); watching other people paint, and discovering our fingers itching for the brushes again.
There may be painters who can just work on through the anomie, ennui, and being b. well fed up and never take a break from it all: but I've not met one yet.
Posted
Hi Paul, Ellen and Robert
Thanks so for your posts! They are so helpful- Yes, I think sometimes taking a break, and just 'playing' around with paint and with no real goal helps also, you know not taking it to seriously 😀
I love the idea of a series of Plateux - it's what it feels like- since lockdown started last March, have been painting much more, these things are noticed a bit more
Lovely to read your views on all this!
What a great forum !
Posted
Rachel, Alan, Ellen, Robert et al, you're not normal if you don' t get these times. You just can' t have an emotional link to painting/ art if you don't. And that will reflect in your work. I do think so. It will be formulaic. IMO of course. My " trick" is to go to the place where I paint and " busy" myself - it may be just tidying up. Exhibitions are " out" at the mo but looking online at artists can work. We all come through it eventually....until the next time.😁
Posted
I got to that stage a couple of months ago, but I joined a couple of zoom classes as well as my regular group who meet on Facebook. So now I have a routine and I am producing more work in these courses. I’m doing my own thing as well as I feel confined by the courses. (Currently reworking 2 old paintings. However, I am mostly working smaller, as I would not get through my schedule at my normal size. Soon the gardening will take over a fair proportion of my time and I will not have time for Zoom. But if you are fed up with what you are doing then try doing it differently, change mediums, subjects, colour schemes. Best of luck.
Posted
Sorry to come back and be a bore - mind you; never stopped me before. But I do find Youtube useful here, provided you look at good painters - nothing to be gained by looking at bad ones, they just depress you. I find the paintings of Christian Arnould (put on the tube by Elaine Debard) very good at getting me to want to play with oils again; and of course Alan Owen with his watercolours - always something new to see. Dave Usher, on acrylics and oils. Even MuralJoe, who paints, well .... murals. But he's engaging, and very good at what he does. Also Brandon Shaeffer - who is intellectually interesting. That's a very male-dominated list, I notice - as in, no women at all! But that's only because I can't immediately think of their names; ah, Lois Davidson! Wonderful watercolourist, using the Ron Ranson method (and nothing wrong with that) but not bound by it. And this is all free stuff .... provided you don't let the quality of these painters deter you, of course. Don't trust my spelling - I get names wrong all the time; called the painter Will Kemp Gary Kemp the other day, who's a different cove entirely..... but look them up: I'm an absolute sod to encourage to do anything, so if they can inspire me, they'll inspire anyone.
Posted
On a smaller scale.... even tidying up my painting space can be a boost. I am a bit of a lazy one, and the thought of having to tidy up the room and clean up the brushes, water pots and paint pads is something that regularly puts me off 'doing anything'.
Once I do get my rear into gear though, and sort the mess, I want to get in there and paint something.
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