Understanding My Creativity, One Painting at a Time

I suppose one could foster the argument that a photograph is the same as a painting in the fact that it suspends a moment in time like a painting, but to me, a painting is more. A painting can be more tactile, and not only are a group of colors and the movement of my brush captured in perpetuity, but the energy released by both is also captured.

I never know what type of painting I am going to get.. I do not sketch out or plan each composition. I am inspired by a color palette at the beginning of every painting session. I carefully mix and arrange those colors to match my vision, but the brush movement always takes a life of its own.

In this abstract painting, “In a Roundabout Way”, I began by placing small amounts of each of the colors onto a wood panel. Once the panel has a good amount of coverage on it, I then pay attention to the opacity of the pigments I am mixing as I bend and morph the small shapes into larger shapes, problem solving the way that each of the shapes sits next to its neighbor. This painting in particular developed a nice swirl like pattern towards the center that I decided to frame in.

New from artist Julie Prichard, “In a Roundabout Way”, tap the image for more info and to see closeups.

There are different emotions that I experience while painting. Things like my mood, the weather and any external circumstances can all impact the way that my body moves while painting.. this is really fascinating to me. Because not only like the colors and the brush strokes, the movements are also captured. As I grow older, I am sure my movements will change as well, so to me, this colorful snapshot in time is really interesting.

A long time ago, my younger brother died. The art that I was creating at that time was completely different than the art I am creating now. I can remember a few paintings between then and now which had giant emotional components attached to them. I anticipate with a moderate level of anxiety how my life may change again soon.. I wonder what the art will tell me at that time.

Thank you for reading.