Creating Without Limits: A New Year, A New Way of Seeing

Hello You!

I'm writing to you from my favorite creative spot in the house. It used to be the kids' homework table and then it became a 'work from home' table and now it's my creative table. It sits in the living room with a view of the front door, the fireplace, the tv and a bit of my garden. This spot has always been a good place to start.

I've been on a social media break since early December, and now I'm rested and ready to begin again. I filled my December days with sales to new collectors, meeting new people, taking an art workshop and letting my creative juices simmer. I want to share some of my workshop experience with you.

Creating Without Limits - Expressing Without Fear

with artist/designer Liz Murphy

Hosted by Woodward Contemporary in San Diego, CA

First day jitters were quickly replaced with excitement and anticipation as Liz greeted each of us as if she already knew us. Her generous spirit, passion for all things art and bounding energy kept us engaged and focused for five fabulous days. (The daily snacks and lunches provided by the wonderfully caring staff at Woodward Contemporary may have helped too!)

One of the many things Liz taught us was her approach to mixing a color palette. We spent two days sensing, feeling, seeing, blending and painting with a beautifully harmonized palette of colors, with an emphasis on value. "Think of mixing your colors as self-care," she'd say. "Then, you're free to paint." I love that!

Here are some of my color/value paint chips!

One day, we all painted on a table full of canvases and each of us kept one to develop further. Because we already knew our color mixes, we were free to begin designing. Here is the canvas I chose: at the start (1), halfway through on my easel (2), and the final piece (3). Yes, I painted over a lot of it which led me to realize I do that often when I’m uncertain or stuck. Becoming aware of that helped me understand the what and why. That awareness opened up another direction. I can slow down and develop the composition from what I see, not what I don’t see.

For the next painting, I began again by mixing colors and values. After the first few layers of freedom and fun (!) I stayed with the marks I made. Rather than painting over them to search for what wasn’t there, I welcomed the beginnings of a composition and worked with the principles of design. Here's the finished piece, along with a few detail shots. This felt like a breakthrough; an exercise in both color mixing and composition design.

On the final day we were asked to mix a palette of colors and values and paint a large 36"x 36" canvas. Using what I'd learned about color, value and design, I painted this piece:

What do you think?

I think… I love it!

I always appreciate the incubation time that follows a workshop, and this one didn’t disappoint. I feel like I have a new perspective on creating my paintings and can lean into new ways of seeing what’s already on my canvas. I think everyone in the workshop would agree it was an exciting five days of learning to create without limits and express without fear.

And now, I begin another creative year right where I am, just a bit further along the path, with a few new tools and a fresh perspective. I'll be sharing it with you here, and I'm grateful for all of it.

Happy New Year!

Susie