Sunset Grasses

Attached is a wild waterscape that I completed recently, titled "Returning". The sun was setting as we returned from a day on the water. The grasses captured the colors of the setting sun, creating a display of color that just amazed me. The painting has a second name, "Grass Sunset".

To paint the tall grasses, I used a plastic pizza cutter. I just rolled the pizza cutter in a pan of paint, so it was coated all the way around. The results were very gratifying!

I often paint with odd things - my fingers, paper towels, and more traditionally, palette knives. Yes, I do use brushes, but I love to paint with my fingers. Clouds are especially easy to paint with my digits!

Sometimes a painting will paint itself - others are like hard labor. The ease of completing a painting really depends on two things - how well I "know" the subject, and how large the painting is. I seem to get stuck on larger paintings, probably because there are more problems to work out. Smaller paintings have less detail, and seem to go more smoothly.

I am working to get my completion rate up from about 30% to nearer to 70%. I think I need to put more thought into the process, and allow my brain to solve problems while I sleep. It always seems to help when I approach a half finished painting after a good night's sleep.

Then, there are gems like "Returning". With the goal clear in my mind, and the pizza cutter trick, this painting almost painted itself! Such gems are rare, and much appreciated.

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

www.harvilleart.com

Creative Famines

I am going through some changes to my meds, which is causing a "creative famine". Actually, I have no trouble with planning the creative process, just in the execution.

My mind and body are not cooperating - I am wired and tired, and my focus is almost non-existent. I think I know why, but it is scary to think that a drug can have so much effect on one's productivity.

The reason I am changing meds, is because of side effects - body jerking at night before I get to sleep. While not dangerous, the body jerks make it impossible to get to sleep. Over time, there is the possibility that they will become permanent.

All of this is contributing to a lack of concentration for almost any activity. I can do laundry, but that is about it! Painting has become difficult, since without concentration, I cannot stick working on a painting. Even typing this is difficult!

Mental disorders are complicated. And treatment of them is equally complicated. To all of you out there experiencing a mental disorder, my heart goes out to you. I hope you have a good doctor. Hang in there. Science is slowly, but surely, getting some answers to these puzzles.

Artfully yours,

Cathy

Finishing

Yesterday, I talked about discipline. Today, I want to talk about finishing paintings.

It may seem odd to the general public that many paintings go unfinished. A well-known artist I know has about a 20% non-finishing percentage, which means that one in every five paintings he attempts is never completed. My percentage of is quite a bit higher.

Recently, I have learned that I can probably lower that percentage if I completely commit to a painting. The fact is, that I do not finish some paintings because I hit a "block". I am now learning to paint through blocks, and keep pushing forward. Then, as I am learning, the painting will come together.

I have started a new series called "work in progress". As I work on the paintings I have started, which is all two of them, I take photos to show my progress. The in progress photos won't be revealed until I am certain that I am going to finish the piece. Maybe that is cheating, but I like it it is avoiding unneccesary postings.

Maybe that is not such a good idea. Seeing a painting blocked in is not awe-inspiring. I want the viewer to be more involved with my work, and just thought this is a novel idea. My first posting on Facebook did draw any comments, so perhaps my audience is not interested in such a thing.

But taking pictures as I work is providing a push to finish what I have started. And that is a very good thing!

Artfully yours,

Cathy Harville

Discipline

Being an artist, discipline is not one of my stronger suits. While I can be disciplined to finish a painting, I am less disciplined with daily activities.

One area I am going to try to improve upon is posting blogs! It doesn't matter if I don't have a lot to say, but I realize that posting is the backbone of the blog. So, I will try to use my early morning hours to post more blogs more frequently.

Discipline is a learned skill, and one must practice it to get better at it. So, for the next several weeks, I will strive to be more disciplined, and post regularly. And, if my audience wants, they can keep me on track!

An update - I have been rather manic for the past several weeks, and typing has been difficult. Between my doctor and myself, we seem to have gotten the beast under control. What a relief! The mania was not the happy kind. It was like an internal restlessness, and sleep was hard to come by.

I am not using the mania as an excuse, although my typing time was restricted to essential tasks. As I type this, I am still struggling with the hand to eye coordination. I just need to discipline myself, and power through the problems in life.

As we embark on a new week, I challenge everyone to think of an area in their lives that could use more discipline. Perhaps you are already disciplined enough in daily life to be productive and successful. But if not, here is your opportunity to learn a new skill, and get more out of life.

Namaste,

Cathy