I find that the process of painting often teaches me. In the case of this painting of the commune Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, in south western France, it taught me to move past my comfort zone and try new things.
After spending days trying to get the stone walls and red tile roofs perfect on these buildings, I had reached a point of utter frustration. Then I had an ah ha moment and reminded myself, this is a painting I don’t have to recreate every stone and tile photographically. It was a liberating moment.
I grabbed an old plastic gift card and started scraping paint across the surface in wide swatches. My focus was on attention to the lights and shadows of the landscape rather than the minute details of the surfaces. It brought new energy to the painting and to me.
Where in your life are you feeling confined by your own expectations of how something should be? Are you willing to let go and try something new? Consider how your unique gifts may bring about an outcome better than you can imagine.
