PAINTING WITH A CHILD'S HEART........ letting the wildness out.

WILDNESS 40"T X 30"W
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Now this is color......... wild abandoned color........ This piece was started as a demonstration project for a workshop I was conducting in February.  I was thinking red at the time because it was near Valentines Day.  I started the piece as usual, very intuitively, just throwing on color mostly reds, yellows and oranges.  My students that day were having trouble loosening up so I was showing them it was OK to be WILD, SPONTANEOUS, and full of abandon.

Finally I said "Grab a color from your pallet, come up here and throw it on this painting".  One by one they came forward; timid at first making small marks. Than I asked them to do it again.  I made the first bold gesture and encouraged them that it would not ruin the painting.  Once again they each stepped forward and with a bit more gusto they added their mark.  Finally on the third try large swatches of color began to appear. Laughter, dancing and childlike play followed.  Each student had made their bold and beautiful mark.

The painting began to come alive.  We set the piece aside and all day long students would spontaneously add to the mix of marks. Their 4 year old child was stepping up to that easel, and mischievously adding their personality.

I took it home and several days later I refined some of the movement, corrected some of the colors and let it take shape as this magical wild garden.  I still see much of the brush and finger strokes that the class had added.  Although 80% of the painting is definitely my hand, 20% reminds me of the wild abandon and joyful, childlike students that made their marks.  By the end of the workshop each one of them had created inspiring work and had found their child within.

This piece is now hanging at the Mountain Artist's Gallery for their ADVENTURES IN ART, exhibition in the Main Gallery.  Starting today July 2nd. and running through September 27th.  Stop by and see this beautiful piece.    It was a true ADVENTURE to paint.