A lot has happened to me on a personal level in the last couple of years. I lost my soulmate and biggest supporter (unexpectedly) and the year before my mom (after a few months of pain and suffering).
This blog is about my art, but the personal things affect my art, and I felt the need to include that aspect.
I didn’t create ANY art for six months. Then it was hit or miss getting back into it. It was probably not a good idea to choose a portrait of my little granddaughter as the first act of painting, there’s always a pressure in portraits, especially loved ones!
So, with the support of my daughter, I began with some small paintings, and even learned how to time-lapse video them. Some of them were small, thirty minute paintings which were a challenge to someone used to painting big. But those paintings helped me to loosen up, try some new techniques (slap that paint on with palette knives when the stopwatch is running out, lol).
Going out of my comfort zone, I took a three-day workshop with the wonderful Plein Air artist Jeremy Sams. It was a great experience, but not without challenges (hey, the light and shadows change – a lot!).
That experience was another jumpstart to getting back into painting, but I decided to go with a subject I love to paint: flowers. Some painted from life, some from photographs. Some quickly done, some allowed more time. This set could be called the “Kitchen Paintings” because I set up in there (great light) instead of my studio.
I also joined a new artist’s website: https://www.dailypaintworks.com/
Life is different now, but life is good.
Many thanks to friends and family who have been with me on this new journey!
The Art of Joy A. McGugan 