Creating Recovery

When painting the Dark/Light series, I usually had three or four boards on the go at one time, which meant I had up to sixteen works in progress. This made it possible to ignore pieces I was unsure of until I was ready to complete them.

Whether you are working with one board or several, if you have difficulty deciding when a piece is finished, leave it alone for awhile. Return, admire, and ask if you’re ready to let it be what it is. Some of my paintings were actually complete after the first color application (see Week Sixteen, Breathing, and Week Twenty-Three, Morning). If you get a feeling that your painting works just as it is, move on. If not, ask what it wants to be. Start a dialogue with your inner muse and ask for inspiration. If the muse remains silent, try adding a bold brush stroke or motif to your painting. Sometimes the simplest change is enough to inspire.

Should you absolutely dislike what you see, try using the Reverse technique. Above all, don’t be discouraged. There is far more going on than creating images. You are creating recovery. Healing is taking place.

I can tell you that all the pieces do fall into place; the techniques do become absorbed and some, even invented, as soon as you see yourself in the painting. It is then that the great dialogue with yourself begins…

~Jeanne Carbonetti

With practice, you will become more comfortable with the process. You may become so immersed that you lose track of time, and even find yourself reluctant to end the painting session. So much to explore, so much to be discovered!

To help bring each session to a close, and to prepare yourself for the rest of your day, take a few minutes to tidy up your work/play area. Don’t rush. Enjoy the ritual of re-entry to the world around you. Clean your brushes. Empty your water jars. Tighten the caps on your paints. Wipe the table…

When you feel that all of the paintings on your board are done, leave them to dry. In a day or so you can remove the tape. Do so by lifting one corner and pulling it gently towards yourself, rather than straight across the edge of the paper. This helps prevent the paper from tearing. Peel one strip at a time, turning the board as needed to work your way around the painting.

Always sign and date your work. If you don’t want to interrupt the flow of the images on the front of your paper, sign the back. A waterproof pen is best but almost any will do as long as it makes clean, clear, permanent marks. If you are inspired with a theme for your work, give it a title. This can be written on the back of the paper also or, if you dare, on the front.

In the pages of Creating Recovery yet to come, you may be inspired to do any number of things with your creations. In the meantime, enjoy the process of bringing them to life.