Studio Night Update: Epilogue

Monday, back at work after my New York trip, wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be – I was still on a bit of a travel high, rather than being pouty like I usually am when I return from a trip. Of course the slump was still on my mind, but I had started thinking of it as a mindset. I need to be in the right mindset for making art, as my mindset in the past year has been more like, “Crap gotta do some stuff where did the time go this used to feel so leisurely.” Here again is where rule 3 comes into play: Calm the F Down.

When it came to be Tuesday Studio Night, I was actually kind of nervous. Is this going to work? Am I going to fail and feel terrible about myself? Immediately when I got home from work I changed my clothes and shut the door and got to it. First I had to move things around – that tiny room is a mess! And I had to set up an area to work on these small paintings – they are 8” x 8” value studies for that series I keep talking about – and for such small paintings there’s no need for me to stand at my easel.

So I did all that and I painted. Any time I paint, I feel better. I started one, finished one that I had started previously, then went back and finished the first one. These are oil paintings, but they are studies so the intention is not for them to be very layered, which is how I would normally approach a painting. And because of that, I was able to finish them and have a real sense of accomplishment! But my sense of accomplishment is tempered with knowing I need to keep this up, and that it’s a whole process, not just me getting in there one night and actually painting. But I still posted a picture of my two little paintings to show the internet that yes, I painted!