Coffee Shop Fridays: Icelandic Volcano Cards & The 87% Rule

 

I never know what will come out of my Coffee Shop Friday night painting sessions.  Often, I experiment with abstract images, letting colors interact with each other and the brown paper that serves as my canvas.

After the paint dries, I take a viewfinder -- just a piece of cardboard I cut a rectangle out of -- and search my paintings for interesting sections to make into art cards.  

I used to be far more precious about making cards, taking hours to get everything "perfect."  But I know there's no such thing as perfect, and that attempting to create to that standard steals my joy.

So, I've developed The 87% Rule:  get the design to about 87% of what you think ideal is, and glue it down.  Move on.  This approach frees me up, helps me tap into my intuition, and keeps my creative flow going.  

And it's way more fun!

I have been watching videos of the Icelandic volcano, with golden & crimson lava shooting like a geyser, and flowing over the purple-black volcanic rocks.  White clouds of vapor often enshroud the volcano.  

I realized about halfway through creating this series of cards that my paintings expressed the heat and drama of the volcano.

Flames lick. Vapor rises.

Lava coils in the heart of the volcano, ready to explode.

By letting my intuition lead me in choosing paint colors, patterns, and card designs, I allowed my soul this visual discussion of the volcano, the power of nature, and the creation of a new landscape -- a new reality.  

Our minds express themselves in symbols and imagery.  It only makes sense that allowing our intuition to lead us opens the doors to express whatever we are processing internally.