Painting in a Wildflower Garden

Yesterday, I spent the morning in the wildflower garden of the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve, where the light poured through the colorful blossoms of Blazing Star.

As I gathered my supplies and drove out to the site, I felt myself grow nervous at the thought of "Making a Painting," fearful of making a mess & failing.  My harsh critic, the Hobgoblin, was hard at work!

I reminded myself that I was allowed to paint without expectation, to simply go through the process rather than forcing myself to make something my inner critic deemed "good."

When I arrived at the garden, I decided to simply sketch with my paintbrush, skipping the pencil sketch.  Lost in the process, I didn't take photos of the progression.

 I began simply with splashes of the pink Blazing Star blossoms, with a mix of permanent rose & permanent blue-violet.

The stems and leaves came next, a mixture of sap green with a touch of permanent rose. 

The final step of the painting was the background -- interspersing areas of sap green with dark splashes of Hooker's green & permanent blue violet.  I touched in a bit of pink here and there to echo the flowers, and called it done.  

About midway through the process, I met two workers at the site -- interns Audrey and Jennifer.  We talked about their work at the park, about our shared interest in watercolors & creativity, and about pushing back against that frustrating harsh inner critic.

I've noticed that when I talk about the process, and talk about my own self doubts, it eases my struggle.  I get out of my head and notice how illogical the harsh critic's messages are.  

Is there any real danger in making a painting that I don't like? Not at all.  Every painting teaches me something.  Even if it shows me a technique or color mix I don't like.  I'm still learning and gaining ground.

In the end, I felt buoyed by my conversation with Audrey and Jennifer. As the old saying goes, "A burden shared is halved. A joy shared is doubled."

They halved my struggles with the Hobgoblin and doubled my joy in painting.

I jumped back into my painting with more spirit, and liked the finished piece.  Not perfect, but pleasing to me.

After wrestling with my Hobgoblin/inner critic, I felt a sense of peace, as you do when you've just exercised and rest in the afterglow.  

My tips:

• You don't need a big kit of supplies.  Use a small collection of your favorite paints, pencils, etc. -- whatever feels comfortable & familiar to you.
• Give yourself permission to make a mess!  No expectations or pressure.
• Find the part of the scene that really appeals to your artist's eye.  You don't have to paint the whole scene before you, just the part that's fascinating & exciting to you.
• Allow yourself sketching time to warm up.  You could try different mark-making to express the textures you see in your subject or simply swatch the colors you see. 
• Focus on exploring and making discoveries rather than making a pretty picture.
• Think about what you are learning.
• Encourage yourself as you would a friend.  Be kind to yourself and your art.

Does your inner critic tell you you can't make good art? I encourage you to push back against that voice, remind it it's wrong, and go out and make imperfect art.  It feels good to face the Hobgoblin down and to learn from each painting or artwork.

Here are some photos from the wildflower garden at the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve.  I hope you'll use them to create your own art!

Happy Creating!