Art as a Practice
I believe that anything requiring fine motor coordination or a specific skill set can be considered a practice. Yoga, sports, dance - even a medical practice requires intention, focus and a process catered to your unique learning style and abilities.
With my art, I have different practices for different mediums, but the process of getting set up is the same.
A Snapshot in the Studio
I am intentional about having good art practices and art archival practices. I have several rules in my studio set up that allow my practice to take place without any distractions.
Before I even begin creating, I check in with myself, with an open heart to see where I’m at each day. This allows me to move through my practice authentically and without any pressures to produce.
After all, art as a practice does not have to mean that you’re mass producing, or painting or drawing a certain number of pieces per month.
Pastels and Prints
My practices for pastels and prints are a good example of how you can approach two things differently and still ensure that you get a lot of joy and satisfaction out of the process.
When working with pastels, I’ll grab a handful of pastel bits, close my eyes and rub them on the surface until they all have fallen from my hand. Only after the last bit falls will I open my eyes. This practice is devoted and it requires me to constantly be looking at what marks I’m making, what the marks are and what they mean, and trying not to just interpret them but to enjoy them as they are. It really allows me to relax my eyes, body and mind into the process.
The best part is that I don’t find this type of practice to be tiring. It just is what it is. You know the motions and your body, and you flow into it as deeply as you want to.
For my prints, I’m painting on a jelly block and I’m allowing the surface tension to create holes in the painting before I print them. I allow the paint to spread and move in unpredictable ways. It’s completely free form.
When I get pieces that look like something that I want to draw on, then I’ll take out my acrylic paint pens and start to play.
Trust Your Tools
So why develop a specific practice at all?
It’s a way to learn about yourself, enhance your skills, build confidence and let go of any external or internal pressures.
There are a lot of marks that you can make with just one brush, and I’ve been exploring them thoroughly - discovering what each of my hands can produce. I'm currently making about 20% of my marks with my left hand. I’m still recovering and hopeful to eventually find an even split between my hands.
I can be more expressive because I’m not trying for perfection. The imperfection in this art works in my favour and I can use it to launch into a new interpretation, or break the one I’m seeing. Sometimes I want to completely obliterate it.
Focusing on Impermanence
Where my pastel practice tends to be permanent, my print practice is not. It’s actually all about impermanence.
The really lovely thing about acrylic is that once it’s dry, you can paint over it again and again without it changing the paper. I’m always using recycled archival paper to avoid unnecessary waste.
At the end of this current print project, I plan to paint over everything live on Instagram.
This practice is not about making a product for someone to buy. This is about soothing myself and pleasing my inner child. It’s all about play, so that’s what I’m doing.
Having a playful practice that I get to participate in regularly is integral to my mental health. And having produced nothing at the end is really freeing and humbling.
I, like any artist, can be painted over at any time.
Do you have an established practice? What does it look like?
