Is Art Conveyed Through Consciousness or Training?

Continuation of this post

Taking a workshop is good in many ways. Being pushed out of one’s comfort zone is one of the significant reasons for participating in this type of group. Michele Byrne has a way of challenging her students with kindness in her demeanor.

We were set up on Eaton St along the street in front of the Tropic Cinema, and Michele gave us instructions to paint any building on the sunny side of the street. Any time one paints on the streets of Key West, the biggest decision is commonly selecting one choice out of so many. The point of this subject is to isolate the moments in which we are using our training and when we are using our creativity.

So we are taught - trained - to place a wash on the panel board. Then block in the subject; this is an appropriate time to check proportions, angles, lines, etc. Next, after the final review, the mixing of paints, distinguishing lights and darks, and, finally, painting. This is the moment one searches for their own truth in seeing and transferring the sight view onto a panel. Do we try to follow exactly the assignment or does one have confidence in one’s own ability?

Creative liberties begin at any point by what becomes an inspiration and connect within us.

Ahah! A moment of consciousness or awareness awakens. Some have called this “the zone.” When being in “the zone” one goes into an empty space and continues to paint, losing all that surrounds oneself except for the subject, along with a time-lapse. Painting on autopilot.

Silence The Mind

We all desire to go to this place during painting where we can focus on every detail in front of us. There are those days when the mind captures our attention and won’t let one paint freely. With such a distraction to the mind, the outcome is obvious but not always recognized until being faced with frustration. When this happens, we reach for excuses. “I couldn’t paint because……” The true answer lies within us not understanding this simple quandary.

This is what happened on Eaton St the day we were to paint. The harder I tried, you know the rest. Each palette knife stroke was painful, not finding the space or rhythm that can glide one through the process. The mind cluttered with chatter to paint the perfect image. For those who paint know very well, pack up, and move on for the next time.

In the practice of Yoga, if one holds on too tightly to the asana or the postures, or even desires to seize the asana, the mind prevents the process. The same is true in painting if we want the paintings to be the best, the mind jumps in the way. Give up the mind games and surrender to the process.

As an encouragement from Michele, in her famous words, Do it again. So I am pleased to say that the second round of painting on the Eaton St house was in “the zone” during a peaceful mind.

This is when yoga practice and art melt into the ball of wax. (See here.)

In our next post, I will cover the preparation before a painting project.