I've had the opportunity to read some great books & magazines lately, and, inspired by my reading, I decided to try to paint more freely & expressively.
The only way to achieve this is to experiment. Not every experiment works, and even those that I feel are successful, like the one above, have parts I like (the loose yellowy-green fronds against the dark blue shadows) and parts I don't (some parts just got mushy).
I painted this frothy fern as I sat at the breakfast table, as the morning sun spilled in and backlit the foliage. I was taken by the glowing yellow green fronds right next to deep shadows. I painted quickly, without a pencil sketch underneath, looking at the fern as much as possible.
In the moment, I felt like I was painting haphazardly, wildly out of control! When I stepped back, I liked the result of picking out the part that fascinated me and trying to express that.
It was incredibly freeing to remind myself that I didn't have to make a photo-realistic "likeness" of the fern, and that precision is not better than expression. My goal was to just express the sense of light pouring through greenery.
Every time we experiment with our art-making, we learn and grow. We make discoveries. It may feel risky, wild, and unkempt, but even if the results are wonky and imperfect, they are worth trying just for the possibilities they hold.
I hope you'll make a list of art experiments you'd like to try and then recklessly pursue them!
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