When you get stuck...
3yr
Kevin Rigby
So what do you guys do when you get stuck and lose the expression of emotion you had when you started the painting?
Often I will free draw or free paint as pain management. I end up often with stuff like this where I'm fully expressing myself for a couple of days, and then I walk in one day and stare at it for 10 minutes, think about getting the brushes going, but then I just sit there staring. Then maybe I'll see something new and work on it again. Then the painting changes, and I see something else.
But then there comes a point where I love the unfinished painting, but it's NOT finished. It typically happens with acrylics (this was a free painting on black gesso canvas, limited palette). There are probably only 10 layers there now. But I seem to be losing the essence of what I started with. I have a closet full of unfinished works due to loss of emotion in expression. Some oil, but mostly acrylic.
this may be due to lighting/ mood giving the feeling of disconnection with what you may have seen in your imagination. this emotion ive found is often present at the start and if lost i recall it with my eyes closed not logically with the mind if that makes sense. if that does not work ive found that that emotion then is on the other side of the fence of adding lighting that coveys the mood i was going for that i just give a name to i.e dramatic / mysterious / sad .
if you dont mind i can do a slight digital overpaint with some lighting on it.
For me I find that I lose the expression when I hit a technical wall. When you start out, it's all potential. It feels amazing and exciting to you (but not to anyone else). Then as you work, it becomes real. You realize how bad your art is compared to how you pictured it in your head. A lot of art schools these days say technique doesn't matter, and that it's all about expression. But in my opinion, technique is the vehicle for expression. If you are having trouble expressing yourself, it might be because you lack the visual vocabulary necessary to communicate your intent. So when this happens, I like to ask myself "what weakness does this reveal in my art?" And then I target that weakness with studies and exercises. Then try again, getting better every time
Excellent points. I think you are correct. I agree 100% on technique. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
