those first marks, on the blank canvas, are the easiest. there is no right or wrong at that point. it's just all playful and exploratory. things are just getting fleshed out; you're just laying out a composition or playing around with color or whatever. you're making a painting! it's ok if it's crummy on the first day. the second day is the killer.susan rothenberg said that 90% of painting isn't actually painting, but sitting, looking, thinking, reading, etc.. amen. aside from those days of first marks, most of my days are of the sitting, thinking, drinking coffee variety. sit and look at what you did. if it's crummy, that's depressing. if it isn't crummy then you're stuck because you're afraid to ruin the good parts. the answer, of course, is to go ahead and ruin the thing, but that is the hardest part.
"how long did it take you to paint that?". aha, trick question! six hours or three weeks...
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I always fudge on the 'how long' answer ... better to keep it a mystery.
ReplyDeletei'm with you, dave, on the thinking being the creating part. i think there's a distinction between creating and executing. and i also think the completed painting or etching or sculpture reflects thought if solid thought preceded it...
ReplyDeletei realize i am always quoting people, but i have to quote john cage who, in his "rules of art", said you have to separate creation from analysis. make first, think about it later. i really like that one.
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