Taking Risks

“I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.” 
Jackson Pollock

Fear... it is the killer of art.  When working on a painting or any work of art, fear can ruin the creative process.  I've always told my students that fear shows in the work when they are not willing to take the risk.  It's better to take the risk and fail than to not risk at all.   
Taking risks within the work allows the unknown to manifest itself.  It allows the painting to speak to the artist, guiding them in the work.  It heavily relies on intuition.  And that intuition is cultivated by doing the work. It is cultivated by working through the difficulties in a painting, failing if necessary, in order to learn.  But the process of learning what works and what doesn't, is all part of the process.    
An artist has to be willing to completely destroy the work in order for it to be successful.  It takes guts sometimes to do that.  Keeping the painting preserved because one area works will cause the painting to fail.  This is true with any medium.  The art begins to take on its own life and direction.  And when that happens, it's magic in the studio. 
Yes, there are rules within art but those rules are meant to be broken as well.  Taking the risk to do so frees the artist so the work can go beyond the parameters of design.  Once free, the work - whether realism or abstract - can speak beyond the materials or subject matter.  It can speak to the human condition.  All great art does that.  It relates to the conditions of our lives as humans.  
So... take the risk, play and create.  The work will guide and direct the process.  Trust it.  You won't be disappointed.  


Wrapped Painting 
Susan M Gibbons
2019

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