Yesterday, I thought it would be fun to do a livestream painting for Carini Arts on Facebook. I got a lot of questions about techniques, processes, what to do when you're not happy with a piece, how to know when it's done, and how to work with limited supplies in difficult times such as this pandemic quarantine. Not completely satisfied with my painting that I created, feeling like something I couldn't point out was missing, and having a number of paints drying out in their containers, I saw a wonderful opportunity to do a second video, this time painting over that entire painting in a very different manner.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and that thought has been at the forefront of my mind as we all attempt to push through this catastrophe that has no definitive end in sight. While it was fun creating what I will call the first stage of my painting, feeling imprisoned has created a massive urge for release...for escape. While that first part of my painting was honest and vulnerable, there was still something pulling at me...something that needed to get out...out of my comfort zone and out of my head. Even if it meant a risk, I just needed to escape for a moment. In this case, painting offered that to me. I don't often revisit paintings, but I figured why not try something new, something different, and share it with those trapped at home that may also be struggling. I saw great beauty, something very raw and pure, in that opportunity to be vulnerable in a moment of weakness.
We're all feeling trapped and isolated right now. I thought a creative explosion sounded like a great idea and the response seemed to indicate so...for myself and the viewers. The techniques (alla prima and impasto) are simple, effective, and surprisingly therapeutic. It doesn't matter your age or experience level, it's something everyone can do and enjoy. It's remarkable how relaxing and enlightening mixing paint on a palette or canvas can be, and I still say that enthusiastically with decades of experience under my belt. If only for a moment, it offered me a much needed release and took me to a different place.
When I look at the first part of this painting in relation to what it evolved into, I see something very pure and honest. I see a journey, a metamorphosis in progress before my very eyes. In stage 1, I see a heart that is conflicted. I described my palette as a Van Gogh palette, a complimentary color scheme of primarily blues and oranges with some accents of the adjacent yellow-oranges and blue-greys. That heart, through beautiful, is in great conflict with the strongest of contrasts. There is nothing wrong with this heart, it just felt like a piece was missing. In stage 2, that heart is piled over, protected with layers of energy, stories, breaths, and scars. The heart still lies beneath, and is no less beautiful in its new state. We all try to protect ourselves, our hearts. Sometimes the things we cover that heart with are the very things that lead us back to it.
Check out those livestream videos and feel free to send me your questions for my next video. If you like what you see and what I do, please always feel free to share. You make my dream possible. Without your support, none of this would be. You've been here for me. Now I'm here for you. Everything I do is available, including this piece. Message me for inquiries and check out CariniArts.com to see more art from a starving artist.