PRELUDE: • It's easy to overlook the role that textures can play in our paintings. Our November Academy featured course give insight about that. Take a look at it HERE.• Do you know someone who might enjoy what we do? Feel free to forward this post to them. They can sign up for our mailing list HEREThis is the fourth issue of my eight-part series that I'm calling Unlocking Eight Mysteries of Painting. We are born to be who we are. We begin discovering that "who" with our first conscious thought. That "who" can encompass any number of combinations that sort themselves out as we move through our childhood and continue to come into
focus as we grow older. For some, that path unfolds effortlessly, but for others social norms, family preferences, and other biases compete with that path and too often consume it totally. But one thing always remains and that is choice. Even for those who
think they have no choice, it's always there to be discovered. All that is needed is to look for it. And that requires curiosity. MYSTERY FOUR: FREEING THE ARTIST WITHIN The word "artist" includes all forms of creating. The process of claiming and growing that part of who we are is the same, no matter which form it takes. At the heart of that process is curiosity: asking questions rather than assuming
answers. It was the key to Leonardo's greatness. His curiosity fueled volumes of notebooks of drawings, scribbles and written descriptions of what he was observing. His questions went outside of what he had been told because he was curious about why and how things work. And he would never accept
anything as impossible. I believe that curiosity is the key to our creative freedom. Can a painting have life? What gives life to a painting? How can I move my hand to do that? What is the difference between dead color
and alive color? What causes me to see distance? Curiosity is always a possibility even if dormant. But dormant curiosity is never trapped in circumstance. Choosing to ask just one question can create a crack of light. The miracle to follow is that there is
no end to it. A single question can stimulate another one and the domino effect from that can be infinite. Even though there are those who will claim it was his outstanding talent that gave Richard Schmid the power to make paintings that delight our hearts and minds, I contend that it was
his perpetual curiosity. Talent without curiosity is empty and non-productive. And that it was John Singer Sargent's unyielding curiosity that gave him the substance to create an inspiring legacy of paintings. John Singer Sargent Oyster Gatherers We can cruise throughout history going as far back as it is recorded and find that asking questions, no matter the cost, has been at the root of humankind's evolving. The car
you drive, the coffee you drink, the clothes you wear all began with a question. When we stop asking questions, we risk losing our true voice to the voice of others. That's when our creativity goes dormant. But when we rekindle within ourselves that
curiosity we were born with, we create within ourselves a space where the artist within can thrive. Keep tuning in with me right here throughout the rest of this year as we continue to explore these wonders! Enjoy a curiosity filled weekend!
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Happy Painting,
Dianne
dianne@diannemize.com
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