The Next Chapter

Welcome to my brand new web site and blog!

I am excited to introduce this more minimalistic direction in my work. It follows an eye-opening 9-month mentorship with the amazing Nicholas Wilton.

In the mentorship I learned many things. One of the most important­—to follow my “Yes’s” and my “No’s”. Those messages that are constantly there, guiding us to be our true, authentic selves if we really, really listen. I find that when I follow what my heart and gut are telling me, instead of my head, it always leads me to the right place. I find this to be true both in my life and in my art.

In the process of adding colors, textures and forms to my paintings, I try to be aware if these things really feel like me. Is this a mark or a form that I love? Does it belong here? Is it in the right place? Is it the right size, the right value? Have I pushed it far enough?

It sometimes seems easier to just let things stay in, even when I shouldn’t. “I spent 3 hours working on that section today, so it’s probably fine”, I tell myself. But, I know something about it just isn’t right. I walk away from it and the next morning it glares at me again. Hopefully, at this point I take the risk, cover up the area and introduce something new. What usually results is that this stale area now has some new life, created from a combination of the new along with a bit of recovered history from what was there before. If I acted on what I was telling myself sooner, I probably could have saved myself a few, frustrating hours.

And so it is with art, and life.

And, now I’m going to go change that other thing that’s been bugging me.

Listening, Kerry