as though I am inside a flow!

January 24, 2020 at 10:44 am

Such good days I have had in my studio! Just as I got better and better at the craft, when I was writing my book, it now goes easier and easier for me to paint – because I have painted a lot.

In the passed couple of weeks I have persistently kept working in the same way as when I paint my commissioned portraits. And stroke by stroke the paintings have evolved into just about finished. Spending hours infront of the easel, day after day, has rewarded me with a desire to paint more. And that is the best thing!

Until recently I was ashamed of my unfinished paintings, that they were of quite poor quality as they were hanging there on the walls next to the perfect paintings by Helena Hjertquist (who shares my studio, but never is there). Now they do not need to feel ashamed any longer next to her work.

And before, I was just about paralyzed by solving the question of what motif to paint next. I am still not sure of what to paint as I finish this serie of paintings, but I am not worrying a bit about it – as though I am inside a flow!

What had made this flow possible?

It was that I showed up.
I had made a decision what to do (to - finally – finish my paintings), and now I had a task to fulfill. a task.
It helped that I have been working in series.
That I cleaned up my studio and had sorted out which paintings were worth to continue at all and which ones were not.
I had been inspired also from having been teaching lately and also from having been talking to an artist working at the bottom floor.

This was first supposed to be Charlie Chaplin

The main change for me was KNOWING WHAT TO WORK ON on. It consisted both of four square paintings with my own motifs (photographs) from the House (my home away from here) – and of some rectangular paintings of black and white portraits of some people that had drawn my attention.

I painted Alexander Calder, with a paper around his nose that was looking like a person, Pablo Picasso, with a dove on his head, my grandmothers sister and artist Ingeborg Engqvist and finally I had a picture of a young Charlie Chaplin, without a mustache nor a hat, but with very narrow shoulders, that had drawn my attention. (Now, those shoulders didn’t get very well illustrated in my attempt to paint him, and the picture of that face enveloped into someone complete different). See above.

All the portraits I treated in a free and playful manner. And the motifs from my House, I intended to paint more as they were.

Eight jobs of both “just painting” as well as of “playing” to alter in between, has been the PERFECT working situation.

I really, really hope I have learned something.

as though I am inside a flow!

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