A New Chapter

Last week or so I wrote a little bit about playing.  I've been thinking about this more in the past few days.  During our eye drawing week at school, I assigned the students to draw any kind of eye they wanted, even a made-up one.  There were some very imaginative eyes going on in my classroom.  I'd post pics of some of them, but I sent them home to get finished.  If I had been assigned to draw an eye, you can bet it would be drawn as close to perfect and as realistic as I could get it.  I occurred to me that I've been so focused on learning to draw and paint realistically and flawlessly that I have never experimented or tried to make new ideas just because they might be fun.  What my students were doing with their eye projects looked like just plain fun and I wanted to try it!

One of the few pieces I have done that was a process of play.
Virden Farm
Oil on canvas
18" x 24"

 Although I learned a lot of very good stuff in college, everything I turned out there was for a grade and a class to see and critique.  My technique had to be perfect to suit me, or as close to perfect as I could get it.  Please don't get me wrong, I enjoy painting very much.  It is exhilarating as something comes together like you have envisioned it- and nothing beats the feeling of stepping back and knowing it is finished and you like what you made.  But... am I missing something?

Another 'play' process, this was actually a joyful piece to make because I had no idea how it would turn out.
Blue Pitcher
Acrylic on primed board
4' x 3'

I think it might be a real learning experience to play and experiment for awhile.  I decided this afternoon that I am going to dedicate any studio time I get for awhile to 'dinking' around and just see what comes of it.  Can I even make imaginative art?  Can I just be whimsical?  Probably not at first, but who knows?  I might just find I have something to say in a whole new voice.  Whatever comes of it, I'm excited to begin.

Thanks for stopping by!  Alice