“Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul.”— Vincent van Gogh
Someone I used to know, shared with another someone I used to know ... I know, it’s complicated… was speaking of my paintings and wondered aloud, “Why does she always do sad faces?”
I do not force my paintings to do anything they do not want to do. I went back over a few paintings of my past and realize that, yes, sometimes I do sad-looking faces. Does it mean my soul is sad, that I am sad? No. It is the painting that decided whether there was a smile or not. Again, I do not force my paintings to my hand. Paintings that really come from that creative sacred center of our beings, will look how the painting, itself, decides it is supposed to look. The moment I try to force Myself in to the art, the more contrived it looks.
I believe art is soul work. The moment a painting / art piece is done. It stands alone with a story for each person who views it. Quietly, like a wise old woman sitting in the corner, knowing, my story about the painting becomes mute to those who view it, but speaks loudly to me when I view it. No matter how many years later, that I look at it, it will still speak my soul story to me. But, there is even a deeper level of meaning that only my soul knows. It becomes magic and mystery, no matter how well done it is, or not. When we paint, intuitively, and get lost in no time, no space, and the painting appears on the substrate, it is magic.
When I start a painting, I am thinking of a theme, but the moment my pencil pen, paintbrush, hits the canvas, and I move into that holy space, the painting does itself. The creative consciousness moves in to help.. it, in fact, has many areas of the creative brain that takes charge as I let go of my force to have it be “my way” . It is like the saying that it takes a village to raise a child… it is as if there is a village that steps in when I let go of control and gets the painting and the illustration of a meaning can happen.
An art piece, whether art journal or canvas, is birthed as if a child. I have the basic math for a face. I sense what colors go together or will begin as color blocking. Then the village takes over. Once the piece is done. I let it be. I let it speak its story to you, to anyone I share it with. It is, in some way, a scripture.
I encourage you to seek that sacred space that has your own village take over, raise that ‘child’, and then set it free. Share what you are doing creatively. Let your soul speak to our souls.
©Carol Desjarlais 3.27.23
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