Painting as Research

“Paintings are but research and experiment.  I never do a painting as a work of art.  All of them are researches.  I search constantly and there is a logical sequence in all this research.”  — Pablo Picasso, from The Artist in His Studio by Alexander Liberman

Watercolor sketch of squirrel

Watercolor sketch of squirrel

Watercolor sketch of squirrel

I believe these are my sixth, seventh, and eighth watercolor paintings of a squirrel made in the last couple of weeks.  After making botanical-themed sketches for so long, I find myself drawn these days to animal portraits.  Can I learn to be more expressive in my work?  Will these latest experiments be a precursor to human portraits?  (Oh, how I would love to become good at painting people!  But at the moment I am intimidated by people portraits and landscapes.)

For now, I am not on any deliberate path of lessons and improvement.  I’m just following my urges.  And having fun.  I am pondering the advice of Julia Cameron, writer and artist coach, who says, “When we are fixated on getting better, we miss what it is we already are — and this is dangerous because we — as we are — are the origins of our art.  ‘We’ are what makes our art original.”  (from Walking in This World)

 

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