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| "Crawfish on Newsprint" original watercolor on paper 6x6 BUY NOW |
I never really thought about my creative process or how I arrived at my artistic compositions until I worked with another artist in a mural business. It was a terrific experience for me artistically. I had so much fun and was constantly challenged at all of the different projects. One week we would be painting someone's elevator in a tropical theme and the next we would be painting 20' high ceilings with clouds. While working with this other artist I often felt inadequate. She was able to go into a space cold and talk to the client and on demand start a project. It was really amazing, she would talk to the client they would suggest a topic or subject and she would just paint it. By the end of the day she had the idea down and would work from there, no reference photos or research required. Because she worked that way she would send me to jobs without having a clue what the client wanted. For me this was agony! I quickly discovered that I needed to research. Lots of hours on the internet and looking at books. I would then come up with a composition and a color palette and then I felt prepared. I would even do a mock drawing for the project. My partner never really understood this part of my process and often thought I was being ridiculous. I have since realized that I research everything, whether it be a car that I'm buying, a house, even a book. I consult Consumer Reports or pour over customer reviews. It's just my nature. Even now that I'm painting my own compositions I may have an idea pop in my head but I will then have to set up my still life, photograph it and paint it in my head about 1000 times before I start.
So I'm really curious about you. What is your process? Are you a researcher or a spontaneous being? Inquiring minds want to know:))
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| A project my business partner and I did when we were painting murals. We did the floor also, it's a faux treatment. I will never acid wash concrete ever again!! |
See you on Friday,
Carrie
