Work in Progress
I's that time of the year when I hijack the conservatory and transform it into a temporary art studio. I'm very excited to be working on a new painting. Typically, I paint one piece each Summer (it's too cold in my conservatory to paint in the Winter). When I finish a piece, I like to take the time to savour the satisfaction of having completed it and to discover my hidden story within it. Only then do I feel ready to reveal it to a wider audience.
However, for the painting I'm working on at the moment, for some reason, it seems highly appropriate that I pull back the curtains on my creative process and share it as a
work in progress.
So here it is in it's incomplete state...
This is typical of how I paint - I put all of my initial effort into what will be the main focal point of the painting until I'm happy with it.
Now I've got this captured, in many respects it feels like I've already finished the entire painting energetically. I know it is just a matter of time now before the rest of the painting will unfold before me.
I have a loose idea as to what the rest of the background will look like but it will be interesting to see what actually manifests on the canvas. We will see it evolve together!
Below is some of the stimulus I have collected to inspire the rest of the painting. They are photos I have taken of my local area and whilst out in the forest on camping trips (plus a lovely Google image of a crystal).
Once Upon a Time.....
It began with a playful little scene which played out in my mind...a little boy is out flying his kite with his pet dog (who I've decide to call Chap - don't ask me why). The string of the kite snaps and is taken off by the wind before crashing into a tree. The little boy runs after the kite but when he finds the kite, he soon loses interest in it because he has discovered something far more exciting - a multidimensional portal.
The portal is made up of several layers of energy.
At the outer most layer is the earth energy (which I've not painted yet)...
followed by the cosmic energy - the building blocks of the universe which enable time, space and matter...
followed by the refined crystal energy...
followed by the pure core energy of Self...
and beyond all energy, the pure consciousness - the "I Am, I Exist"
The unveiling or revealing of hidden layers through innocent curiosity and finding one's core passion is clearly a strong theme coming through for this painting (hence my desire to share it as it evolves).
It has got me thinking that in many ways, our lives are like our own work in progress masterpieces. We may not always see the bigger picture we are creating for ourselves but just because we can't see it, doesn't mean that the basic outline isn't there. The details may manifest in surprising ways, but the general theme, mood and metaphorical colour palette can often be sensed.
In the same way that I'm choosing to appreciate this piece in it's "work in progress" state, so too am I choosing to appreciate my life as a bigger work in progress picture. I don't need to wait to draw my final breath (or metaphorically make my final brush stroke) before I can appreciate it in it's entirety.
Know that your life is already a masterpiece in the making and remaking!
...and watch this space to see this picture unfold.
