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In 2015 I retired from a 30 year career in teaching.  Around that same time my daughters flew out of the nest to other states. Both of these huge changes made me realize that I needed to find a new purpose for my life that had been consumed by encouraging others to be creative and grow as human beings. It was time to nurture me.

All those years that I was teaching, I used to pick up a paint brush every once in a while, but I always felt frustrated by my paintings that seemed tight and did not express the "stuff" that was inside me. This time I was determined to paint more freely. I was lucky enough to have an instructor who became my mentor. She encouraged me to use a pallet knife and to paint loosely. She would say, "It's only paint! You can always paint over it if you don't like it." From then on I began painting daily, diving into landscapes with lots of color. I took a plein air painting class where I worked at trying to capture the essence of an outdoor scene before the light changed. I had a wonderful teacher who also encouraged me to continue painting looser.

In the past year, I have listened to my own yearning to paint larger and bolder. I took a class called, "Intensified Abstraction" with another great instructor, and learned a new way to paint intuitively, putting on many layers of paint until the painting begins to say what it wants to become. This way of painting is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Kind of like a roller coaster. I'm starting to realize that painting this way is a lot like my life right now. It's all new, I don't know where the path will end up, but damn, it's an amazing ride!

What makes you feel energized and alive? Is there something you want to try or simply find more time for? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Robin

https://robingara.com/

"We Gather Together," is a great example of a painting that was done using the intuitive process I have been utilizing lately in my studio. Someone recently asked me, "Do you just throw on some colors and end up with a painting?" I wish it was that easy! There is a point at the beginning of a painting where there is a lot of paint simply being applied. And, I will confess, that is a very fun stage of the process. Then comes the hard part when I stand back and contemplate where a particular painting wants to go. After that there are repeated sessions of adding and subtracting paint, standing back and reassessing until the painting feels complete. There are usually moments of total frustration often joined with a fear of losing the freshness of certain areas. The thing is, if I trust the process and keep at it, a painting emerges that is greater than the sum of its parts. I hope that you can find some of the joy I feel when l create something new and unique that wasn't there before.

 If you have any questions about my paintings or my process, please let me know. I love to talk about art!

https://robingara.com/