Your Creative Way

Art

Back from France

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My paintings are back from France! Here they are having just arrived this morning. And just in time too.

Although I’ve been painting, I have to say I’ve not yet found my groove. This week, I was beginning to rethink my whole life (again) and consider the possibility that painting is not my path (again).

But as I opened the box and saw my work for the first time in a long time, my spirits were lifted.

I realized that once upon a time, these paintings did not exist. I have been in this place of unknowingness before. Through searching and exploring, I found a way to express myself visually, to convey what I wanted to convey.

I’ve worked in abstract, modernist, and traditional. All here, all from different periods of exploration. These paintings are a reminder that I found my way once before and that I am capable of doing it again.

Clearly, I want to evolve my work. But in what direction? Here I am searching in France.

And now I’m searching in the desert. But mostly I am searching within.

Recently I read that a good painting always reveals something new to the painter. Each painting is an opportunity to discover something, not only about painting but also about the painter. This new awareness is transferred through the painting to the viewer. Everyone transcends to a new level.

My joy in painting has always been about the light, the color and the challenge of finding a way to depict a different world, a transcendent world.

My enthusiasm and inspiration are back. The box of French chocolates that came along with the paintings doesn’t hurt!

Expectations + 3 New Paintings

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Miracle Manor Welcome ~ 8” x 10” ~ © Linda Hough

When is a painting done? Painters are notorious for not being able to let go of a painting, even working on them just prior to the doors opening for an exhibition.

In the course of this week, I’ve gone through a gamut of emotions. I’ve watched myself go through the ritual of doing everything else before sitting down to paint. I almost talked myself into stopping because 1) this is no longer my style, 2) definitely not my ‘theme’ or even 3) the ultimate question: do I REALLY want to be a painter?

Eclipse at Miracle Manor ~ 8” x 10” ~ © Linda Hough

All devious thoughts, questions and devices of the subconscious. Finally, I saw that these three little studies are my entrance back into the world of painting.

When I took away the expectation that they be great paintings, perfect visions of what I wanted to create, I began to relax and enjoy the process. I opened to the joy I find in layering color and watching the glow begin to appear. I let them be what they wanted to be.

I began looking forward to ‘seeing’ what I would see in the morning after an evening of painting. They always looked better with some time and distance. The critical voices at bay. A new perspective revealed.

Poolside ~ 8” x 10” ~ © Linda Hough

Then the magic moment occurs, when the paintings come alive. They begin to speak and you begin to listen. Ah yes, darker over here. A touch of yellow over there. Another layer of blue for the sky. The give-and-take is satisfying, rewarding and takes the pressure off of me. The paintings know what they want to be.

Are these paintings done? No. There remain the many thin layers of color that make them sing; that further defines the edges, the shadows and lights. And as I progress down this road, I expect to be delighted watching them unfold before my very eyes. : )

Picasso and Me…

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One of my favorite buildings on the Cote d’Azur is the Chateau Grimaldi aka the Picasso Museum in Antibes. You can’t see it from this view but if you were to stand on the large terrace above where the sign is, you’d have a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean.

For 6 months in 1946, Picasso lived and worked here. It’s been renovated since then but in the particular room where he is said to have worked, the ceiling is high, the walls are white and the feeling spacious.

Every time I went there, I would imagine the master painter in front of his canvas. I would stand where I imagine he stood and felt what it would be like to have such an incredible space in which to work.

Woman and Child by the Sea ~ 1902 ~ Pablo Picasso

I bring this up because I recently came across a painting of Picasso’s that got my attention. I’m not generally his biggest fan. He used women as subjects for hundreds of paintings. His relationships were often complex and violent and all of that showed up in his later paintings.

However, this painting done in 1902, his Blue Period, was completed before all that and has an altogether different feel. I took some time to read more about this phase in his life as well as look at other paintings done at this time. I am still searching for my theme.

In doing this research, I saw Picasso as a regular human being who was struggling with his art and with depression. His genius was still under the surface.

I was also transported once again back to France, back to standing in my favorite room in the Chateau Grimaldi and imagining what it would be like to have a large and bright studio such as this. To refresh my memory, I began looking through my photos.

Woman Becoming ~ 8” x 10” Oil on Panel ~ Linda Hough

And I found this; a painting I was working on years ago from a dream image. I had totally forgotten about her. But it is a perfect time to find her again.

By now it’s 1:46 a.m. during the almost full moon. Time to put my computer away and continue my reverie in dreamland. As I lay down to sleep, I immersed myself in the Chateau studio feeling, Picasso’s painting and my own explorations.

I drifted off feeling full of gratitude for life, for beauty and for the infinite possibility we all have, to pull from inspiration, to combine who we are and what we’ve experienced into our own unique expression and to wake up in a world of our own creation.

Next week, I’ll be showing the three paintings I’ve been working on while searching for my theme.

Painting the Future…

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Blooming Ocotillo ~ Oil on Canvas 20 x 24 ~ Private Collection

Standing at the kitchen sink earlier this week, staring out the window, I was reminded of a huge A-HA I had several months ago. The desert is full of hundreds of varieties of cacti. One of my favorites is the ocotillo. The blooms are vibrant red and top the end of each spine with glee. I painted this ocotillo last fall from a photo taken by a friend. I love the sense of space, the blue desert sky and the blooms reaching towards the sun.

Back to staring out the kitchen window, I was enjoying a daydream when my eyes focused in on the ocotillo that is directly in front of the window. Recognition occurred like a slap in the face. It was the exact same image I had painted months prior to my move.

Walking over to the back window, I was again struck by the similarity of this view with the painting below from the same series.


Mountain Majesty ~ Oil on Panel ~ 8″ x 10″ ~ Price Available Upon Request

Most everywhere you look in Palm Springs, you get a view of the mountain but with buildings. When I was taking photographs, I was looking for an unobstructed view. Obviously, with painting, you can just edit out, which I did. But up where I am NOW, there are unobstructed views. And this is basically what I see out my window.

I do a lot of reading about goals, desires and having the life you want. There is a reason people do vision boards. When I returned from France, my desire for wide open space, big desert views and beauty was primary. I kept that in the forefront of my mind.

When I found myself in this new space, completely surprised by the unexpected opportunity, I had so much gratitude for the unknown forces that conspired to get me here. It took some time before I made the connection but on some level, it feels like I painted my desire, my next step, into being.

For me, this is the ultimate in life: using the creative process to live more fully into who you really are.

Why Not Have A Little Fun…

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In my search for a theme, I’ve been torn between very expressive larger canvases and more precise much smaller panels. So there is a feeling of really wanting to cut loose and go all abstract. And then the feeling of wanting a sense of place, a feeling of comfort and home and lovingly depicting that.

As much as I’d wanted to just let whatever come out be okay, ALL my beliefs about ART, all that I learned in school and traditional gallery consensus came flying up in my face.

Not to mention all my beliefs about artists and success.

Why even bother? I asked myself. I’d be do much better putting my time and attention into something. More. Worth. While.

This was pretty much why I stopped painting before. These taunts and terrorizing thoughts relentlessly spinning around in my head creating the intended result: I don’t paint.

My subconscious has again done a fantastic job and I stay safe for another day.

Except I’m not really safe. When you are not using your gifts and talents, not contributing to the world in general, you are not really in a very safe space. It’s more like a self-imposed prison. Which is kinda how I feel right now.

So I decided to switch it up a bit and have a little fun.

In the July issue of Palm Springs Life Magazine, there is an article on Charles Phoenix or, as he is called, Retro Daddy . He is obsessed with midcentury Americana. In the article, there were several 1950’s photos of Palm Springs. The feeling was nostalgic and a great big dose of FUN!

Suddenly, the spark was ignited. I’d been wanting to do these small paintings of old Palm Springs since I’d returned. They elicit such a warm comfy feeling for me. Riding around town on our bikes, up and down the streets with houses that have come to be known as prime examples of midcentury Modern.

So I began this underpainting. Just roughing in the big shapes. Drawing lightly and loosely. Not too concerned with precision, just with general composition, light and color. It already feels good.

Stay tuned till next week to see how it evolves.

When Frustration Occurs…

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When I moved back to California, I knew my life would change. That was the whole point. I wasn’t sure what I was going to be doing but one thing I did know was that I wanted to paint again. I had no idea what exactly that would look like. When you make a major life transition, it can’t help but toss everything up in the air.

I recently watched Marie Forleo’s video interview (thank you Kim!) with Steve Pressfield. A successful author, he writes about war – external and internal. In Do The Work, he describes the internal battle that springs forward when your higher self decides to go for your dreams or any new goal or do anything remotely outside of your comfort zone. Because the job of the ego is to keep you safe, it creates resistance to your new plan. Then Pressfield outlines a series of steps to deal with resistance; the first step being to decide on the theme of your project.

So, I got to thinking about my work, what I’ve done so far and where I want to go. I’ve experienced a lot of frustration lately wanting to paint really big and abstract, and then being drawn to smaller, quieter subjects using the glazing technique I know and love.

I feel like I’m all over the place. And that makes sense given the last couple of years. But I am also very familiar with my own resistance. So what I’ve decided to do is just allow myself the freedom of finding my theme. It may be something I’m currently exploring or it may not. I don’t have a clear picture yet.

What I do have is frustration. It didn’t feel right to paint out like the Anger canvas, so I rounded up some color markers. I let myself feel the frustration as I began moving my hand over the paper, intentionally NOT thinking, or if thinking, letting the thoughts go, one after the other.

Focusing on the movement of my hand, I picked up the next color that felt right and kept moving. Most important was letting the frustration all out onto the paper. When I finished one drawing, I went on to the next.

Looking at them all, I again had the revelation that everything is already within. All we have to do is allow. These images look remarkably like figure drawings I was doing many years ago, before I took life drawing and learned to render the figure academically; the identical experience I had after I did the second anger canvas. It’s all energy just waiting to be expressed.

So rather than being upset with myself and going down the road of self-condemnation for not having it all figured out, I’m going to surrender again and enjoy this new phase of my journey: searching for my theme. Which for me also means searching for my own voice, my own manner of expression, and my own way forward.