Painting: Guiding Chaos

Today I decided to share a little bit about my painting process. I realized a few weeks ago that there is very specific method, dare I say, style, to how I paint. I've talked a little bit about my process in the past, but now I want to go into a little more depth about my painting philosophy.

Painting, for me, is more about guiding chaotic forces than it is meticulously putting in each tiny detail myself. In college, I discovered, quite by accident, how fascinating the paint became when I watered it down and let it run together on the canvas, The colors, textures, and patterns that formed added more depth and beauty to my image than I could have ever put there myself. I began incorporating this technique into my pieces, going back to add structure and details to the forms and subtracting what I didn't want after the paint had dried.

There are some projects that I can't use this method on and I have to be more controlling with my brush strokes. And when I do chose to go with a more chaotic approach, it's a bit nerve-wracking to step back and let the paint do it's thing. Sometimes the colors don't look right, or I get lines where I don't want them to be. But those are the things I can change later and the happy accidents are well worth the risk.  

As with all approaches to painting, there is a danger of falling into repetition and mediocrity. I sometimes worry that, if I rely too much on this technique, my paintings will become predictable. That is the double edged sword of style; what can set you apart from others can also keep you from growing. But, so long as I am aware of this danger, I can keep pushing myself to experiment and try new things. Although 3 years of experience have made me competent enough to try bigger, more challenging paintings, they have by no means made me a master at this craft. I hope to continue improving and allow my method to improve with me.

Thanks for letting me share some of my thoughts about painting. I'm thinking of taking the advice of my friend Lauren and writing a few reflective posts about my works from college. Stay tuned for more about that!

onward and upward,

Bethany