Stuck

Bobitaly

I want to start a new painting cause last one is almost finished, but I feel stuck. I have material to work on, but somehow I am in a fase between willing to create and inertia to start.. don't know. Does anyone experienced this? Is it normal in the creation process?

Richard_P

It's quite common, probably affects nearly everyone here!

Perhaps take a few days not thinking about painting and then you've had a small break..

Bobitaly

Thanks @Richard_P it's frustrating because I really have a lot of idea but my brain is just refusing everything Luckily seems quite common..

Richard_P

You are probably a little 'burnt out' from your big painting. Need to recover your energies.

Bobitaly

Probably  @Richard_P   I will take few days for desaturation.. just don't want the "sacred fire" to go away. Thank you again for the support

PaulB

This is time when I clean the palette, tidy the room, prime some panels, cut some Dibond, varnish an old dry one, read, etc.  It doesn't take long before things change.

Julianna

It is very normal - especially since your last painting set the bar high - I still have a Mission painting that I did about 10 years ago that took me forever to paint - so much light and shadow and a wall that was a killer - it ended up winning best in show in an art fair - I just couldn't paint anything after that - I was very pleased with the result, I couldn't find anything I loved more as a reference and still, to this day, my husband says "nice, but the Mission is still my favorite"  -  it's like I'll never paint another miracle painting .   For me, your last painting was just perfection - it's hard to top that.  Today, I am going to do as @PaulB mentioned - I have a ton of brushes that have been bathing in brush dip for months - probably most of them are ruined - I am going to take all of my brushes outside - clean them thoroughly - organize my paints and general tidy.  I should be probably finishing off the 20 other paintings that are almost completed that I just can't seem to get motivated to finish .  Even if you don't find your next masterpiece, how about little studies?  Paint a piece of fruit.  Paint something small and simple from life - even your foot.  It gets the juices flowing!!!  

Bobitaly

@Julianna u understood me so well, it is exactly as you said. I am so curious about the Mission painting now! Thank you again for all the compliments u said about my painting, I wish to surprise you again with my next one

JeffAllen

When you can't think of anything else paint a self-portrait.

Bobitaly

I have a lot of material to start a new painting, just I don't feel the same excitement I had before.. I even have a commission! Talking about self portrait @JeffAllen  I have one in mind, I will try to sketch something anyway good thing is that happens to other as well, "Mal comune mezzo gaudio" "common problem half pleasure" badly translated.

Julianna

@JeffAllen   fabulous idea!!!   @Bobitaly get dressed up - wear a hat or scarf or something colorful and fun - look in a mirror and paint.  I never painted a portrait before a challenge here - I ended up going a little crazy some days with the fun but it is so freeing and you're painting yourself so no pressure!  I especially loved it if I had a prop (hat, earrings, scarf) - one key though that helps when looking in a mirror - put a dot on your forehead, chin, ear - anywhere - just choose about 3 that will make a triangle - now, look in the mirror and dot those places on the mirror so you are always in alignment when you look.  My self portraits were getting really wonky because of slight tilts and angle changes - someone here recommended the lipstick dots and it was amazing how easy!  now, I'm not saying my portraits were good, but they sure were fun and I learned a ton.

Bobitaly

I have one idea in mind @Julianna . I took inspiration thinking about the Caravaggio painting where one character is sticking a finger inside the wound. I want to make a self portrait where I am with a bistury in one hand, with the other keep the wound open in the chest (mine) and from the cut a storm of butterfly coming out like from the inside. I guess it's like putting together my two inner planets, Medicine and Art, the left and the right. Sounds creepy maybe, but of course I will try to make it not. Even if maybe I have a different level of perception when it comes to blood and stuff.

PaulB

@jujlianna there is a way to do it without the dots, but the difficulty level looks awfully high...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbUT6zd6HpI

Julianna

@PaulB - my mind is officially blown.   I would have a hot mess on my hands if I tried that!  wow

@Bobitaly what a cool idea!!!  What do you specialize in with your doctorate?  blood and gore?  

JeffAllen

@julianna,  that is an interesting innovative idea.  I think another thing that might help in that regard, is to quickly plot some landmarks on the canvas. Once you have those down, it doesn't matter so much

Bobitaly

It happened again, I am stuck, no will to go back at my painting. So I know I need to stop and take  a break. I watched a lot of documentary about art, Rembrandt, David, Turner.. and I can say it worked somehow. I would like to go near the sea and to paint a seascape, but I cannot because I don't have the easel and the right tools. This is the first attempt I have done right before discovering DMP. I didn't have anything so I painted straight from the tube most of the time and with Chinese brushes (worse than a stick). I love sea and water in general, it always amazed me that we cannot touch the same water twice, Pants Rei, everything flows.

Richard_P

Wow! That's got a real energy about it. I really like it!

Bobitaly

Thank you @Richard_P it was only a sketch and in the end I painted over...but I really want to paint a storm or a tempest

Richard_P

Oh no! You painted over it?!

If you want to paint a storm you could look at painters like Turner

Bobitaly

Yes I love Turner!!! Actually is one of the painters I love the most! I saw today this BBC doc about him.. never stop to amaze me. Did u see the movie @Richard_P?

Richard_P

Yes I saw it recently! Quite interesting, he was certainly a complex character.

Bobitaly

Yes of course it was, but I think u don't have to be normal to paint like him in his time.

BOB73

Normal? Like Van Gogh? look at Kaustav's skies. They are perfect for stormy scenes. Homer was among the best at capturing the movement of waves. Keep all the colors you mix for the sky and clouds you will need them for some of the values/colors in white caps, highlights and sea-foam. A flag on a mast or a scarf on a figure will be a good addition to show the ferocity of the wind.

BOB73

BTW a stormy sea can be attacking land too. this is the Promenade at Penzance UK. check out what happens at 2.09 in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms8DEng9kcE

Bobitaly

Beautiful video @BOB73 thank you , I will definitely attempt a storm painting soon  

Leo2015

You might try reading something inspiring when you find yourself lacking motivation. Maybe Van Gogh's letters to his brother, or Sir Joshua Reynolds Lectures on Art will do the trick. 

Bobitaly

Thank you @Leo2015 u are too kind, u are an amazing artist I live currently in Ferrara, a nice and quiet city in the middle of the Emilia Romagna, it's a really beautiful city with a lot of inspiring view. I didn't know of Reynolds letters,thank u for telling me. Now I'm slowly gaining back the will to paint, but with the spring outside is really hard to stay inside