This video of the Mula Bonita will show you one way (of many) to begin and proceed through different stages of developing a painting.
Note: If this lesson seems a bit campy, it’s because I’m still at the family camp (what Vermonters call their summer homes).
Where is this painting now? It really was “just practice” – I’ve painted over it.
Artists, unlike musicians, are sometimes reluctant to take time for “mere” practice. Sometimes we think that every session should result in a work of art and consider it a failure if we don’t achieve that. Think of how many hours a week musicians spend with their instruments just learning new pieces, improving techniques, etc. Don’t be mulish about this.
Love the music! And you are so right about practicing vs. thinking every painting has to be a masterpiece. I need more practice.
Love your comment about practice. Sometimes it is hard not to expect every piece to be a masterpiece. It is kind of a relief to think that some can be abandoned half way through and still have merit because they were practice pieces. The analogy to the musicians is very meaningful.
I love your reference to musicans practicing. Artists don’t usually call painting sessions “practice”, but doing hundreds of sketches is the only way to get your technique more automatic so you can be more free with your art, just like an athlete or a musician. That reminded me that the word practice is also used to refer to the goal of developing a daily yoga “practice”, which combines work and meditation, just like art.
I like to think of each art session as a “study” or a “sketch”. Every study is not burdened with the need to make it a “work of art”. That allows more room to make changes and paint over parts, more freedom with my brushstrokes, which actually brings me closer to the “art” I aspire to, loose, painterly, free.
Thanks to you I am back to “practicing” art!
Yes, you’re exactly right – we do tend to think that each piece has to be perfect. I love the comparison with musicians and their constant practicing! Thank you for the great demo and the reminder that practice is important! nancy