Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Letting Go

I recently took a drawing/painting workshop from William Park in which we focused on painting one subject on 2 canvases for 5 days straight.  I found a cluster of pods out the door which became my subject for the week.  The workshop was hugely inspiring to me because Bill instructs you to let go and keep experimenting.  He says you have to be able to let go of anything on the canvas, including the parts you like, to be able to paint without fear and develop the painting more.  And by working on the same two canvases for 5 days, we were forced into making many changes and really rethinking the painting along the way.  It was a liberating approach for me.

Painting #1:

And a close-up:

Painting #2:

And a close-up:

4 comments:

Diane Lou said...

These are so rich, Robin! Breathtaking. I love the teacher's comments about letting go of even the parts you love, because that is what you mostly have to be willing to let go of.
Diane

Suzanne Reynolds said...

I love the way the foreground on painting #1 seems more in focus while the background is softer. The colors are wonderful, too.

Anonymous said...

I love your loose-ness! (of course!, texture and colors! I have heard so much about William Park and monoprinting and have wanted to take a workshop from him!

Only painting on two canvases the whole time. That would be torture to me! WOW!
Lenall

Suzie Wolfer LCSW said...

HI Robin . . . Isn't that the truth, to be fearless and keep painting. It's so tempting to get a "good" bit on the canvas and then be paralyzed by inaction, "what if I wreck it?" Your colorful and evocative work inspires me to paint!

Suzie