This is a painting I did when I first moved to Monterey five years ago. I had been working on a landscape, but had leftover paint on my plate. I didn't want to waste paint, so I started painting this little duck (Jemima Puddle Duck from a Beatrix Potter story). In the original story by Beatrix Potter, Jemima was unwisely trusting and the story had a sad ending. I wanted Jemima to have a happy story and to go on an adventure. So she ended up on a trail in the woods to someplace wonderful. This is the part about painting that I love. I don't plan what will show up on the canvas. It kind of just happens. There is so much joy and playfulness in creating something....using the imagination and being flexible to the creative process. It is how I used to feel when I was a kid when I would spend hours drawing books and illustrating my little stories. I would use up crayons until they were nubbins. Anyway, this is one of my most favorite paintings, because it has hopeful energy in it. I gave it to some dear friends and they told me it is hanging in a nursery. It makes my heart so happy knowing that!!
Right after this, I used up the last bit of paint on the plate to paint my sister's labradoodle, Sirius.
When I am painting, the most important part is the feeling or the expression of the eyes. When I create, the thing I focus on most is the energy and feeling that flows from the creation. I want people to look at my paintings and feel something good.
Sometimes when I hit a block and have trouble painting, it is because I feel frustrated that nothing seems good enough. It seems flat, has no feeling, and doesn't feel meaningful. I know this is why I have sketchbooks packed full of children's book ideas and illustrations, but nothing ever seems good enough to send in.
How do I get past that?
