It is a good feeling when someone finds your work resonates with them enough to make it their own. It’s quite an honor knowing they wish to bring it in to their life and home.
People often ask ‘how can you let them go’ and I’m happy to admit it wasn’t always so easy for me. Early on in my painting career, as I was building confidence in my muse, I was somewhat afraid if I let a painting go I may never paint anything like it again. It’s funny because even when I intentionally set out to create a series I can’t copy my own work, I have to create them simultaneously to capture the same energy flow.
In hindsight, it makes perfect sense, every day is different and painting daily becomes like a creative diary of sorts… the painting becomes a time stamp of the thoughts, emotions and inspiration of that moment. It isn’t something I can fake or try to pull out from another time and place. it is all very present. That is one of the things I love most about creating, it forces you to be present in the moment. I am much more confident that my muse will appear when I front up in the studio now. Twenty years of doing so has shown me there is always something waiting to be expressed.
‘Tip of the Iceberg’ was one of my first paintings in 2018 which incorporated art journaling techniques with painting on canvas. It felt good. It felt like the start of something new and it was. I have continued to use canvas the same way I was using my art journal pages, as a place to explore feelings using mixed media and not only oil paint. I will always love painting in oil, my first love, but this has extended my vocabulary and the process is engaging and rewarding.
I hope ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ gives as much joy to the collectors as it gave me while creating.
‘Tip of the Iceberg’
8” x 10”
Mixed Media on Canvas