Fernz Cont'd.

I was getting ready to write about my second painting when I found a series of photos that showed the progression of Fernz through the layers of mark making. I no longer take photos of the early stages of my paintings for obvious reasons. However, I thought it was interesting to see what I went through with that painting. I think there was a direct correlation with my level of confidence and how chaotic these are. I really didn't have a clue what I was doing save for a little sense of color and a big sense of adventure. I found that I felt really good painting despite my lack of knowing, and that was a breakthrough for me. I liked the good feelings more than I disliked feeling out of my element. 

Following the flow of the layers shows how hard I was trying to find something in my painting I could relate too. It takes courage to keep going with an open mind and heart when the immediate results are so ugly. But in this process it seems most paintings go through an ugly stage. The brave part is sticking with it despite how awful it looks! This being my first painting I really thought I was the exception to Flora's process and there

                 

       

                                   


was meaning somewhere in those smears of color. I really searched, I yearned for images to work with. I was sure this was an ocean scene (see the left one directly above). I added some dolphin shapes,wave-ish lines and some nautilus swirls and lost my flow completely. The canvas sat in a corner for months. One day I picked it up added some color and found a fern. It progressed from there to Fernz and a gigantic feeling of accomplishment and a little more trust in the process of intuitive painting.