Feeling Incomplete

So I am feeling like I have a million ideas running through my head - inspiration for all kinds of things that I would like to do, both art projects and household sprucing up projects. I am also think about all the semi-finished projects that I have already started but lost momentum on. The problem is that there are so many things I would like to do, but I seem to lack the energy or focus to see things to completion right now !!! Argh!!! I feel like I am running in circles, or stuck on a treadmill that is getting me nowhere. Ever feel like that ????

I have realized that I am not a long distance runner when it comes to creating art. I rarely do projects that cannot be completed in a day or two. I guess I am an instant gratification girl, what can I say ?!!!

This week, I was inspired by a few blogs into starting a more long term project. Gina at Joyful Purpose shared this beautiful blessing from a book by John O'Donohue that she uses as a daily mantra. I wanted to adopt it for my own and create a piece of artwork to display the words on. Over at Step Outside Your Box Saturdays, the prompt to use a bigger size than usual in your work worked well with my feeling that I needed to go bigger for my mantra piece. So I decided on a 18 X 20 inch canvas - not huge but bigger than my usual.

Then I started with this sketch in my sketch book :

I drew the girl onto the canvas and then came fun with paint... I love swirling it around and making use of some of my favorite colors. I even got some sequin scrim out to add some texture and used some lovely Lumiere Metallics too. I left the canvas that night (meant to take a photo to share the process but forgot !!!).

Then, the next day, came annoyance with paint - I can never quite achieve the painterly techniques I can see in my head, especially when it comes to shade faces, making the eyes right !!! I love my primitive drawing style but when I paint in the drawing, I seem to ruin them !!

The third day (see, this is a long process for me !) I woke up thinking about the piece and decided to I go to what I like better than painting and collage some paper to the piece ! Layers, layers, layers was what I think it needs. I like where it is going so far but as I said before, I am feeling like I can't focus on much for too long so I stopped there for today. Part of me is enjoying this new rhythm - doing a little each day, not rushing things, not worrying too much about "perfection". Another part of me is frustrated with the lack of focus thing... Oh well...

So here is where she is at so far. One thing I did by mistake (if it will still be a mistake in the end, I am not sure !) was paint the girl with her two eyes open. In my sketch and in the design I had imagined, it was important to me that she have one eye open and one eye closed. In my annoyance with the paint, she somehow ended up with eyes wide open (scary eyes ??? - damn, maybe I will reach for the gesso tomorrow !!!). Feel free to share any ideas !!!

To close this post, I thought I would share a photo of my work table and my lovely plant-filled bay window behind it. Notice the cool Magritte inspired stained glass ? That was made by my Dad many years ago. He was a Magritte fan big-time and is now the white-haired, white-beared Angel on my artist shoulder.
More of the process to come....Have a good Monday, y'all!