Do you every have those days when you MUST have color? I had one of those days this last week. I had just finished several months of traveling and teaching lots of classes and workshops with well defined artistic parameters, answering the questions generated by those brilliant creative minds that participate in said workshops. I love teaching those classes but find that sometimes my inner artist is starving for painting with no rules, no compositional formats, no well planned designs, no assigned palettes. I just need to paint with abandon and throw color to the wind.
As I began reorganizing the studio and returning all the supplies to their respective spots, I discovered many jars and tubes of paint that were nearly…..but not quite….empty. What to do? What to do? Then I spotted my old workshop suitcase sitting in the corner. I've used her for close to 15 years to transport my supplies. She was still wearing her rather dog-eared original black and to be honest, she was pretty bedraggled looking. She was nothing that any self-respecting artist could pull around with any pride whatsoever. Hmmmmm…….What if I thinned down all those scant bits of paint I'd just discovered and did a little redecorating of the poor old thing? An hour later, she was a feisty and beautiful old girl with a fun personality and I had spent a cathartic hour binging on color, purging my soul of all the 'shoulds' and 'coulds'.
While adjusting to these new grayer days of fall, what could be more medicinal than an hour spent simply bathing in living color? It's the cheapest and most fulfilling form of therapy I've ever found. Sometimes we need to reset our creative clocks and find new joy in the season that's ahead. Instead of bemoaning the loss of summer, I'd like to find ways to enjoy the same barefoot warmth of spirit (albeit it might be with wool socks and colorful mittens) that warmer weather brings.
There you have it. That's my prescription for you for a fun fall and winter in Minnesota. (Take two brushfuls and call me in the morning!)
