No products in the cart.
Return To Shop
Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour. -Walt Whitman
………..
This is one of the Bonus Projects in my online workshop Bliss – Mixed Media On Location.
I love this painting because it reminded me to let go and try new things by staying in my comfort zone.
For me, it’s always a balance between trying something new in my artwork that pushes me and my style and going back to the techniques I love, so I don’t get too frustrated with my paintings and give up.
With nearly every painting, I go back and forth… jumping in and out of my comfort zone.
This piece started with the ink spatters and spills I’d been liking in past paintings (which was completely in my comfort zone and got me started).
But I find I can’t repeat the same things, especially characters, or I get bored with my artwork and feel stuck.
So, I added some white paint to my inks and completely brought the background into an ugly, faded phase I wasn’t happy with. I know I always cover up most of my background once I add my characters, so that helped me to play and try something new.
Once I added my character though, that’s when I took this piece too far out of my comfort zone and deeper into an ugly stage. From there, I got frustrated and needed to return to one of my fall-back techniques (something I know almost always works for me to turn a painting around).
And for me, one of my favorite fall-back techniques is painting a character with its eyes closed.
From there, I may end up changing my character. But I at least get back to a point where I am liking my painting again and can move forward from there.
Returning to my comfort zone helps me keep moving forward and taking bold chances. And its helped me to learn to share my light.
Happy painting!
xo,
………
Ps. Click HERE to see the new original paintings I’ve added to my shop.
I will be adding more paintings soon. Follow me on instagram and facebook for updates when new originals are listed.
HELLO
I'M JULIETTE
A painter, writer, and creator of The School Of Happy Painting, online courses to help you loosen up, let go, and develop your own unique style.
Join me for a Free Workshop!
Want to know how I create my paintings? Join this free workshop to learn the fundamental principles I use to paint with style and whimsy, from covering up the white space to final artwork. Follow along to paint your own character in 30 minutes.
Related posts
A few years ago, I wrote a novel about a magical world. I was one of 14 writers accepted into a 6 week writing workshop on the east coast. And when I finished my novel, I flew out to Washington DC to meet with my ideal literary agent. But then I got super scared and burned out. Because of that burn-out, I needed to heal... Continue reading
I used to be afraid to raise my hand in class. I’d learned that my ways of thinking and seeing were different from everyone else. When I shared an idea, I was often laughed at or told it was impossible. So I learned to stay quiet and be shy. When I was in the third grade we had an art project where we were supposed... Continue reading
Lately I’ve been going back to painting owls. For awhile I had been creating these very renaissance-style portraits with soft, realistic faces and incredible hair. I enjoyed that I could make them look very human, but still full of magic and color. While I still adore creating these flower girls, I found that these paintings were missing something. After countless attempts in the studio, many... Continue reading
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.