You know those times when you have too much going on and you really want to do some sketching because you know it will make you feel better, but at the same time you cannot be bothered…and cannot think of anything to draw anyway?
In the past I have turned to collage and multimedia, but I also knew that I was unable to set up and lose myself that process at the moment, because my art desk has been taken over by cats.
So I decided to just play with layers of paint. Something mindless to occupy my hands to allow my brain to tick over and process.
Here are some of the things I noticed and enjoyed as I zoned out:
- How the paint felt as it slipped from brush to paper.
- How a watery wash and well-loaded brush felt smoother than a juicier mix.
- Watching the paint dry and observing the patterns of wet and dry on the page.
- Watching the paper buckle and paint pool and then start to flow back into the dry parts and create shapes.
- Seeing how the colour changed as it dried.
- The sensuousness of feeling something come from your hands and the feedback of the touch.
The whole exercise took place over the course of a couple of days sandwiched between other tasks. It was like meditative punctuation. An interstitial refocussing of my attention.
The end results were butt-ugly, and in years gone by I would have fretted and frothed about wasting paint and pages in my sketchbook. Art supplies are expensive! But as one friend reminded me, it’s like saving the good china for a special dinner. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, let alone a special dinner, nor a masterpiece on the next page of our sketchbooks. Use the good stuff! NOW!
So I reminded myself that not everything I create has to end up as something I’d hang on my wall. There is value in the process whether it be exploring how your materials work with your sketchbook or the space it allows you for thought and reflection. These pages were definitely a case of process over product for me.
Tell me what you think!