Facing the 'fear'

Yesterday, I plunged head-first into a scary blank canvas. The moment a paintbrush touches a gleaming white canvas for the first time is simultaneously the most exciting and scariest moment of the entire creative process - who's with me??

To combat 'the fear' of the blank canvas, I always aim to make as much mess as possible in that very first layer. Splashing and splattering the paint with exaggerated movements and flicks of the brush. This time, I went PINK. Divisive as it is, there is something about the colour pink that resonates with me and has done for as long as I can remember. Perhaps it's the connotations of love, friendship and compassion defined by colour psychology. Or perhaps, more simply, it is a visceral reaction to the colour pink that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Either way, I think it will be pretty hard to break the longstanding relationship I have with the colour pink anytime soon.

After a magenta explosion on bleached cotton canvas, I experimented with layers of blush pinks, translucent blues and golden yellows. Brushes, sponges, old rags, and 'water-sprayers' (for want of a better word) created clashing textures and depth.

As with most of my paintings, at this stage I turn the canvas many times to maintain the freedom and excitement within the painting. Dripping paint trickles down the canvas and overlaps to create a sense of movement and dynamism - heaven!

I can't wait to see how this piece evolves and eventually resolves itself. I love this stage of the process as the painting could go in any direction. Will the colour pink be predominant in the final painting? We'll have to wait and see!

In the meantime, head to my instagram highlights (Process) to see the first marks I made on this piece.