Quick & Loose

I find there’s something beautiful about painting quickly. It gives the work a sense of immediacy and freshness. There’s a certain energy that radiates from the work. The paintings are bold and make a statement. I like to challenge myself to develop a range of skills in my painting practice. Some pieces are tight and delicate, while others bold and loose—and some paintings a combination of the two.

I started a new series of quick and loose paintings. I set the timer for an hour, pick up my paint brush, and just go for it. There isn’t time to overthink. I just paint fast, quick and loose. I go with anything that comes to mind. The bolder the better. I’m feeling into the energy that I put on the paper. I’m painting over beautiful passages. I’m trying to save other ones. I keep going until the timer goes off. And then I stop.

It’s like a sprint to the finish line.

My next step is to look at the painting and slow down. I ease back into the piece with a gentle tone this time. I ask the painting if it’s done and where it would like to go. I work a bit slower and more thoughtfully. I don’t give myself a time limit. I just fall into the painting and get lost in a totally different way. It’s the opposite of how I start the piece. I keep going until the painting feels finished. It could take me five minutes or a few hours.

I like this contrast of working quickly and then slowly. The fast start gives the painting a solid base and infuses a lot of energy into the piece. The quieter layers after the initial rush feel necessary and calming. It’s like the painting winds down until it finally settles into its completed form.

These paintings are 14x17” on paper. I like this size for this exercise. The first piece I did had these bold white marks, multi-colored etched triangles, and soft blended spaces (see photo above). It had this energy and intensity that demanded attention. It made a statement. I posted the painting on Instagram and it did indeed “stop the scroll”. I loved the reactions to the painting. My favorite comment is always “wow”. That means that I hit the mark.

I’ve done six pieces so far in this series. Each painting is bold and fresh in its own way. I’m using acrylics along with oil pastels. I like the immediacy and definitive nature of making marks on the painting. I’m loving how fresh these paintings feel and how much energy they can deliver in a relatively small space. My goal for this series is to capture the energy that comes from painting quick and loose, while at the same time maintaining that elegant sophistication.

Setting Goals

I always have goals as part of my painting practice. It’s the start of the new year, and I wanted share what I will be working on over the next few months. I like to think about both the painting and the business side when developing goals. In this post, I’ll focus on the goals for my paintings.

Large Canvas
I will be working on a series of 3x3ft canvas pieces. I did a lot of work on paper last year ranging from large paper (3x4ft) to small paper (9x12in). It’s important to keep working different sizes and substrates. It keeps the paintings fresh and improves your skills. I am excited to get back into canvas as it has a very different feel than paper. The canvas has a slight texture and also a little more give—so it’s not as firm as working on paper. I started a series of canvas pieces towards the end of last year. For the first painting, it took a little bit of time to settle into the space. I painted the piece and when I looked at it a few weeks later, I was like “I LOVE IT!!!” You can see a section of the painting in the photo above.

I have done three canvas pieces so far, and I am really enjoying how this series is developing. It has a different feel than the last set of 3x3ft canvas pieces that I did a few years ago. This set of paintings has more expression and organic shapes. It feels alive and vibrant. I just finished a piece and it’s a bit darker with blues and purples. It has a mysterious quality with the layering of the lines and marks. I am quite pleased with the direction of this series! It’s nice to work a series so you can see the progression of the paintings. It also gives you room to explore once you feel comfortable in the space. I plan to do nine paintings in this series.

Works on Paper
I will be finishing the set of 18x24in works on paper that I started last year. I absolutely love this size and substrate. These paintings have so much joy and energy in them. I love how you can pack so much excitement into a relatively small space! This is the third set of works on paper that I have done of this size. I have fifteen paintings in this series so far, and I plan to finish it up to thirty. I find that the works on paper are a nice balance to the larger canvas pieces. The 18x24in works on paper are definitely my sweet spot!

I still plan to work on my sketchbook on the days when I’m not doing the larger work. The sketchbook is a nice way to maintain my painting practice if I only have limited time or energy. I am about fifteen pages into my new sketchbook, so I will be looking to complete some more pages in the upcoming months. Hopefully I will finish the sketchbook soon as well!

Those are my goals for the next few months. I like have a specific size, substrate and series in mind when I’m painting. It gives you direction for your work as well as a consistent space in which you can then explore. Once I am done with both series of paintings, then I will see where I go next!

Painting Over

I often paint over perfectly good paintings. I recently painted over four 18x24 works on paper. I had done these paintings several years ago at a painting workshop. The paintings were good, solid, finished pieces. However, I didn’t LOVE them. I may have liked them at the time, but I felt like I didn’t love them right now. I pulled out the pieces and started painting over them.

Painting over pieces is one of my favorite ways to start a painting. What would it be like to start at the end and find a new destination? If you remember that painting is about the process, then there is a freedom to paint over what you thought were finished pieces. I always find that having something down on the paper to work with makes the painting process more interesting. It gives you something to respond to and a place to start. There are endless possibilities when starting with a finished painting.

The way I approach painting over a finished piece is with reckless abandon. If you’re going to paint over something, you might as well go all in. I start these paintings as I would with any other piece. The only difference is that I already have so many beautiful elements already on the page. While it may be tempting to keep certain sections, I don’t think about saving any parts of the painting. I give myself full permission to paint over anything and everything that my heart desires. At the same time, I am constantly responding to the elements already in the painting. I’m allowing myself to feel into the lines, marks and colors as I create this new piece.

Once you start, you can’t go back. There’s something freeing about changing, ruining or improving a perfectly good painting. Once you paint over something, you will most definitely have a different painting. Sometimes it will be better, and other times you’ll need to keep working the piece. I like painting over pieces that I thought were done because it frees you of the attachment to the painting. You are no longer tied to the outcome, and you can fully enjoy the process. There’s nothing better than going from a painting that you like to a painting that you love. At the same time, there’s nothing like ruining a perfectly good painting! Both are good outcomes—you showed up, you painted, and you decided to go for it.

The element that I love about painted-over paintings is the layering. Since you’re starting with a finished piece, there is already a set of layers in the painting. The more layers that you add and cover-up, the more interesting the piece becomes. Sometimes only a few small sections show through from the original painting. Other times, most of the original painting can be seen in the new piece. It adds this element of mystery and depth to the new piece. It has more character and draws the viewer in closer to see more.

I enjoyed painting over these four works on paper! I am so pleased with the new finished pieces. I like them much better than the old ones, and I’m glad I painted over them. It’s important to love your work, so if there’s a painting that isn’t quite speaking to you—don’t be afraid to paint over it! You’ll either come out with a better painting or you’ll have gotten more practice for the next time.