EMERGING: Dan McCaw's encouragement

EMERGING
20"x16" mixed media on canvas

After watching an interview with Dan McCaw on Youtube months ago I was struck with many things that he said.  I ordered a used copy of Dan McCaw's book, "A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art" and I'm completely satisfied with how he brings together the fundamentals of art: line, shape, colour, value, space, texture and form into a personal conversation, a personal process.  Essentially, he defines art as the process of finding the authentic self.  Investigating past my personal construct of character and self-image to find the innocent, pure, simple, clear child self--the essence of the innocent, sacred self.  Past the fear that I've obliterated the true, authentic self.   With canvas, brush and paint to find the sweet smell of berries and pine pitch in the ripe beauty of  fullness and completeness.

This painting emerged from an experience never aware of before when painting.  Initially, the canvas was a deep, intense colour, and it didn't feel like it was what it wanted to be and so I worked back down to the gesso base in the sky and kept the intensity of the foreground and this was the painting that emerged.

May you find the beauty in you.  The sacred, innocent child self.

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