Forget About Making ‘Art’
When you’re out sketching or getting ideas for paintings, thinking about what they will look like when they’re finished can actually hold you back.
As difficult as it is sometimes, when I go out sketching and gathering material for paintings, I try not to think about the end. At the start of the process I try to resist the urge to immediately focus on the final image. Instead, taking time to be fully immersed observation. Letting ideas and inspirations come naturally from the finding of colours, shapes & textures. Thinking about what is it like to be in this place?
Allowing the creative process to lead you gently rather than forcing a predetermined or rigid outcome is an approach that encourages more authentic expression and maybe even unexpected discoveries. When I look back on the work from a sketching trip, I always enjoy the moments when I surprise myself by finding something I wasn’t expecting. Marks I didn’t know I’d made.
I really enjoy the idea of separating different aspects of the painting process. Being outside is about looking and enjoying the experience. Having a positive experience I can bring back with me. In the studio, I can do more thinking and start to develop these visual ideas.
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