The BLANK Canvas

Settling into the studio/guest room has been challenging this fall. I am still a wanderer in my own new digs and channeling my creative energy into decorating or waiting to decorate. Anyone who has made a recent move may recognize the drive to get it done fighting against that waiting phase......wait for deliveries, inspiration, money,.....! Wayfair, Amazon, The Bay - they are in and out weekly, it seems except for now. Five months and NOW....I am breathing easily, settling, claiming and enjoying the coziness of a winter while hunkering down in front of the fireplace. I understand the Danish Hygge, I think. Bits of it for sure. I have been feasting on You Tube videos about simplicity of decor, living, eating, fashion; and, hoping that something will rub off without having to study! I welcome the sense of home that has evolved. I embrace the enveloping silence of our new-to-us condo in the downtown core of a small Okanagan city.

BUT...yes, but..my painting remains stalled. I have knocked out a few experimental (small) abstracts just to try something new followed by a small landscape, a larger one and then a medium one...but still can't get excited! I can understand "writer's block" but don't really know what to call this! I think my ego is hiding in the corner calling me names! Or maybe, I have drained the tank for now and must wait to get filled back up with inspiration. So, I have come up with a plan! I always come up with a plan - it is my nature.

Here are four things I am going to do to kick start my "artistic interruption":

Immerse myself

2. Take more photographs of my new surroundings. Photography was my first creative love - well, after writing but that is another story! Seeing the world around me through the lens has always forced me to focus on the captivating.

3. Follow a few online courses to get moving - try something new or review the basics and re-discover my roots.

4. Paint for joy. Let go of the results and just enjoy the process: the colours, the "squishiness" of the paint, the swish of the brush, the feel of the bristles moving over the canvas - all of the above!

Excited to get started! Stay tuned and please, if you have some helpful suggestions, I am all ears!!