Dabble color

Work in progress

By Susan Roux

I spent yesterday in my studio. I was overdue. All my "children at the beach" were dry and waiting to be dabbled on some more.

Dabble I did.

I so love these beginning stages when I can be completely free with color. I posted yesterday morning that I wanted to explore color and I did just that. It felt good to let delicious colors lead me. The house was empty and with Luka plugged into my ears, I let go. Singing and dancing (mostly swaying) in front of my easel, my brush was in control.

Isn't it fun when everything just flows?

The paint. Your creative energy. Your spirit. Its almost as though someone else took control and painted for you. When the sun comes up this morning, I look forward to returning to my studio and "explore" what happened on my four canvases yesterday. So much is a spontaneous response to the stroke before that it all happens so quickly. No time to think. Simply react. As the paintings dry enough to be worked on again, there'll be plenty of time to reflect on the direction I want to take them in.

This painting is currently untitled. I hope something comes to mind before its done. Most titles announce themselves during the process, but there are always those pesky ones that don't. I'm fearing this will be one of those... You know, the "hard" to title. Bulldozer comes to mind, but is completely unfitting to a dainty little girl in a pink ruffled bathing suit...

Suggestions are appreciated.

This particular painting has me a bit nervous. With the child stretched on all fours, she covers far less canvas than all my others in this series. Even with her reflection, she is but a dab in the distance. It'll be interesting to see how it evolves...

If you didn't have time to "explore" something yesterday, I hope you do it today. Its refreshing and will put a smile on your face.

Happy exploration!

Splashing color

Do you ever wake up and feel your creative energy surging? I'm hardly awake, still sipping my coffee, and I can tell its going to be a painting day. I have this urge to yank off my bulky bathrobe and run downstairs to my studio and splash color around!

I've been seriously immersed in my children at the beach series. I'm feeling the pending deadlines for delivery, though they're several months away. I hope to shed that feeling and just let my creativity flow. Ever notice how your work can change when you think about it too much or put some special expectations on yourself? Maybe that's why I'm painting like a mad woman lately. I don't want the approaching deadlines to affect my work. I want to be prepared in advanced!

That could be high hopes...

I have five canvases in the drying stage and I'm dying to jump back in! Being patient until they're set to my liking is proving to be difficult. I look at all my splashed color and it stimulates me. Lately I laugh at the evolution my work is taking. My process is starting out so wild, uninhibited and abstract. Much like the little children I'm painting. At some point I need to pull it all together and calm things down. Its as though I need to stop playing like a kid and start being the responsible adult!

Don't you hate that?

I'm posting images of both stages and you'll laugh at what I'm telling you. Funny how while painting the subject, I'm becoming my subject. Didn't they tell us this in art school? Or was that for acting? "Don't paint the tree. Be the tree..." Honestly being the "child" seems much easier to do.

Yesterday I sketched another. My thought is if I have enough of them in progress, at least one will be dry enough to continue... My studio space suffers from it, but my creative energy is exploding!

I wish you explosive creativity today. Be like a child and have fun splashing color around! Much like exercise, your energy level will rise...

Tap onto that joy in your heart and let it pour out of you!

Posted:

Making Ripples 20x10" original oil painting by Susan Roux

Untitled work in progress 20x10"