Elaine O. forgot the camera, so no movies and we're relying on phone photos, but the paintings are great. Also, we had an interesting and lively art discussion today about how we decide to paint what we paint. See what we painted and then learn about our individual selection processes.
How do we decide what we're going to paint? Don't you wonder? If you've watched over the years, you'll notice that we sometimes paint in series, we sometimes try things once and walk away—and sometimes it seems like we have a sort of mind meld going on and we all tune into the same theme. Well, dear reader, we'll tell all below.
Not surprisingly, most of us paint what we like or find interesting (which may change or evolve over time). For most of us, painting has opened our eyes to our surroundings. We go through the week looking for subjects that intrigue us. Mark looks for colors and Alan looks for structure and color. Tony looks for places he's enjoyed and wants to remember. Sara likes to paint people she knows and scenes from her window. She likes to paint light and large and has never met a tree she didn't like.
Many of us use photography as a tool. We've all painted from photos, but Steve deliberately takes series of photos to paint. So do Elaine O., Greeta and Vivian; Vivian increasingly uses her own photos and Greeta has noticed a marked improvement in her photography as a result. Susan, on the other hand, is into plein air—she paints as a diary of her life, seeing what she's feeling during the week and painting something to match. Ken sets himself exercises and moves from series to series as he explores; the series grow out of these explorations.
Elaine O. and Greeta joked about their choices. When they get stuck, Elaine O. says she paints a Buddha and Greeta goes for whatever's fresh in her refrigerator. But maybe they aren't kidding after all. Those familiar subjects have sparked some painting breakthroughs for them. In fact, Greeta says fruit changed her life. It taught her about shadows, drawing, composition and photography. Maybe there's something to this apple-a-day bit after all.
And while everyone claims they paint whatever appeals to them, either planned or spontaneously, what if you're truly in a quandry? Elaine T. elicited nods of approval when she said she wanders around looking for anything that seems even mildly interesting. And as she starts painting, she finds her inspiration. We agreed that she spoke for us all. It's so true—as we start to paint or draw something, no matter what it is, it becomes interesting.
See you next week. We'll be painting things that interest us and exploring a new "how do you make art" question.
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