Intuitive Painting Within A Framework

Intuitive painting comes easily to some and others, not so much. For me, it is pretty much how I begin all my abstracts and I enjoy connecting with that artistic spirit from within. There are times though that my intuition gets cluttered, I stop listening, I get to painting, and I go way overboard when I should have stopped hours ago. For this reason I decided to first, choose which elements I really wanted to use in creating a mixed media painting and two, stick with a specific color palette. 

Using a framework before I began turned the mental organizer on in my head but it didn't seem to silence my creative spirit which is what I was hoping for. This morning, I set up my studio outdoors, cranked up the Indie Songwriter station on Pandora, and got my paint on. 

As the process started I made it a point to take many breaks, breathe through the process, and not rush the outcome. Within a few minutes of starting each piece I knew I would love painting this way. I could see my path, I connected with my inner child, and I 'played' through these pieces, which is about as much as painting nirvana as I can get. 

Below you can see the setup, a few stages of the process, and the finished five pieces. Four to five collage pieces were used on each one and painted papers as well. The framework that I gave myself is listed in this pic. Elements I love, simple enough to follow, but lots of freedom to explore color, line, pattern, and texture. I am going to paint many of this type of abstracts for a while as I tinker with more monochromatic color palettes and neutrals, which is something I struggle with and I hope to paint in this style using BIG elements, because it just lends itself to a celebration of it all on canvas or paper. 

Setting up my outdoor studio. Working in a series is easy on a round table.

Adhering collage elements and building layers.

Finished pieces drying indoors.

The titles come from a conversation I had with my hubs throughout the process. It gave me much fodder for thought and humor, ;)

"Yes Dear, You Had Your Keys This Morning."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"No Dear, I Don't Have Your Keys."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"Did You Check Your Floorboard?"
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"Gee, I Am Not Surprised."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

"I Love You Dear, Always."
12" by 6" Gallery Wrapped Canvas, Acrylic/Collage
(Private Collection)

(ALL OF THESE IMAGES ARE MY COPYRIGHT. PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND PASTE AND STEAL MY DESIGN TO TEACH, REPRODUCE, OR COPY. THAT IS STEALING AND NOT COOL! )

View of them drying after being glazed.

Intuitive painting is what I know as painting from the heart of the creative. With a bit of a framework, it freed up my spirit to spread its wings a bit and develop a specific style without being contained within a rules set.