acrylic on panel, 6×6, floral
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Small to large prints available here

You don’t know how paralyzing it is, that stare from a blank canvas that says to the painter you can’t do anything. The canvas has an idiotic stare, and mesmerizes some painters so that they turn into idiots themselves. Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas IS AFRAID of the truly passionate painter who dares – and who has once broken the spell of “you can’t.” – Vincent Van Gogh

I remember being afraid of blank canvas, but what was harder for me was a half-finished painting staring back at me. My problem was not knowing how to finish what I started, and it stopped me in my tracks. I got little accomplished because I was frozen in fear. Fear of not knowing how to proceed, and not wanting to ruin what I had already done. What little I had accomplished, I thought was precious. I was afraid I’d never ever be able to create work that good again. haha So silly to think of now. Hello, ego!! It paralyzed me, for sure. 

I can almost feel the frustration, and stress I felt all the time. It’s actually hard for me to see some of my old work because I instantly feel the struggle that went into each one. It got so bad that I thought about quitting painting every day, and searched the newspaper for a job. Luckily, I came to my senses, and didn’t give up. I knew, deep down, I wanted to paint more than anything else. 

I started following Duane Keiser pretty early on, and became obsessed with his daily paintings. I also followed Randy Plowman who did a collage a day. I was fascinated with their work. When other artists started jumping on the bandwagon, I started to consider it, too, but a painting a day?!! Who did I think I was? Sounded impossible since one painting of mine was taking a month or longer. I’ve always loved a good challenge, tho, and had to try it. I’m not going to lie, at first, it was extremely difficult to finish a painting a day. I had to get rid of all that rubbish talk going on in my head, and actually work. haha Yeah, I had to actually paint, not just sit there watching tv, thinking about painting. It was a rude awakening for me. There is a HUGE difference between thinking about doing something, and actually doing it. It’s been about 4 or 5 years now, and I haven’t looked back. I have a large portfolio, and I never get stuck anymore. I start a painting, I finish it. Boom! The fears I had are completely gone. All my painting problems were solved by painting daily. 

If you’re struggling with a blank canvas, my advice is to try daily painting. Start small with 4×4 inches, and paint one daily. Try doing it for a week. Then, an entire month. Reward yourself by laying all your finished paintings out on a table on the 31st each month. Stand on a chair, and take a photo of them. Wow, right!!?? You really can accomplish a lot this way. You’ll get hooked, and won’t be able to stop, just like me. 

Although, I must admit, I recently stopped daily painting. What I’ve found works better for me is painting several paintings in one large chunk of time, instead. I just came off of a long 2 day painting spell, and I have 16 paintings finished. If I had been daily painting, I would have only 2 paintings, so this is more productive for me. Once I’m in the studio, and the energy is flowing, I don’t want to stop painting. I never would have known I have this many paintings in me if it hadn’t been for daily painting. I’m very grateful to Duane and Randy for starting this movement.