I just really, really, really love to paint, and I have been so blessed by the opportunity to take a nighttime painting class at a nearby community college twice a week! I do not need the class, yet it is really good to paint in relaxed group setting with a good teacher.
What you see here is a class assignment I am working on. It’s a very interesting, yet challenging assignment. We took an image, composed it on a canvas no smaller than 30″ x 30″ on each side (mine is 30″ x 40″), then devided the composition into 16 equal-size grids. Then we approached each grid as an individual painting, and painted it in different style/texture/color scheme… etc, or with different choices of tools/medium. At the end, since the grids originated from one single image, the whole picture supposedly will become somewhat of a uniform piece. In the process, we, the students, will have been challenged to paint sixteen different ways.
In my case, I printed out a picture of a Tiger Lily flower that I took a few years back and go crazy with it (or try to anyways). This is my first time doing a grid painting; also the first time I really push myself to go beyond my comfort zone by trying so many different things all on one canvas. As of tonight I’ve oly finished 6 out of 16 grids, so you don’t see that many variety of techniques yet, but believe me, I am pushing myself with this experiment. It shall look quite interesting when it’s all done. Although I already disovered that as much as I tried to do different things, I still stick to relatively true colors, because having been so very strongly inclined to traditional painting methods all these years, it’s hard for me to deviate from my own habits. Neverthless, some conscious effort to explore have been invested, and such effort will continue till the completion of this project.
In the meantime, I am also slowly working on a painting of a vineyard that’s inspired by a roadtrip with John. That one will be done entirely my style. This coming weekend, I also look forward to gessoing another canvas to start another painting.
Nothing can quite compare to the joy moving paint across a canvas gives me. Every time I attend the class, or paint at home, I kept on asking myself “why did I step away from painting for so many years? How could I have done that?” Before last August, I didn’t paint for more than five years. During that period of time I finished grad school, got started on my career, travelled to some new places, met many new people, gained lots of fabulous experiences, but I did not create any art. Why did I do that?
But than again, life experiences and creative endeavors do go hand-in-hand. My life experiences can only complement my art. I am blessed to have journeyed into different worlds, and I am truly thankful to have the youth and energy and resources and support to chase some really beautiful dreams.
The painting instructor always plays music in class. Tonight’s music choice was Chopin. All of a sudden, my two past lives - my painting days and my piano days - merged. It was such a beautiful moment to realize how lucky I am.
Not a bad way to spend Valentine’s Day while my love is away.
