Oil on paper, 55x38cms.
I love that painting forces one to slow down to really observe the details of the world that we live in. I often see things during my everyday life that finds their way into my studio as potential subjects, like this cabbage leaf. Without a robust, daily sketching practice I, rather, tend to photograph and save them for a later date. Though wrestling my brain into disciplined practice still feels like a necessary coercion, I have found some strategies to help me settle into my painting process.
Choosing a subject is my first battle. If I win this, things are on the up and up. Sometimes, having subjects with a natural expiration date helps. For example, this cabbage leaf sat in my studio waiting to be painted for at least a week. It wasn’t until it began to wilt that I was driven to finally paint it.
A strategy I find useful is using the same approach every time I begin observational studies. This ritualistic approach seems to focus my mind to the task, like a trigger for the process ahead. I try to have my next subject and easel setup the day before, so that I can begin as soon as I arrive the following morning. On the day of painting, I clean my tools, choose my colours and lay them on my clean palette. It’s akin to washing my face, brushing my teeth and choosing what I’ll be wearing that day.
Then, with cup of tea in hand, I evaluate my subject and plan how to approach the painting. I think of this as my meditation stage: My brain storms initial thoughts and feelings which I have to let pass and resist acting upon. Gradually, as they disperse an urge develops to pick up my paintbrush. This feeling grows and develops, often comprising solutions to challenges that I have foreseen, and then, it’s time to begin.
Cauliflower Leaf, 2022, is available for sale through my website and can be viewed at Atelier do Tijolo.