Painting Large, Fearlessly!
I've found so much freedom and joy in painting large scale works. My recent "Fearless Abstraction" workshop with instructors Jane Burton and Toni Lyons Phillips really hit that home for me. Five glorious days of pinning up huge sheets of canvas and using big gestural movements to create large expressive marks fired us all up with creative abandon. Our home base was Studio Raven at Santa Fe Artist Getaway and it held all we needed to meet this adventure head on.
“I truly laughed at loud when I recently saw this photo. I was so lit up, confident and full of sass that I couldn't contain it.”
In many ways, this workshop helped me to remember to trust myself, listen to critiques with "one deaf ear" and create from my artist heart with all the authenticity I possess. I began to understand that the most difficult part of creating isn't learning and following rules - it's digging deep and connecting to ones self and allowing that to come forth, then recognizing it for what it is - your own voice. Staying on your own course, and speaking your own truth.
And I feel I really did have a chance to do that in this environment. Paying attention to what came easy was pivotal for me. Learning to trust yourself is a big job, but a vital one for an artist.
What a growth experience! If you are on the fence about taking yourself to a workshop where you can paint intensively with others, I highly recommend giving yourself this gift. And what a pleasure to do so in the company of other talented creatives. Jane and Toni will be teaching this workshop again in 2023. Follow them on instagram and sign up for workshop notifications from Santa Fe Artist Getaway to stay informed! (links in first paragraph)
