When I start an art project, I usually begin with the end in mind. I already have an imagined idea of what the finished piece will look like. Fantasy Flowers did not begin that way. I tackled this project completely unplanned. That’s possibly why it’s taken almost a year to finish.
I realized I don’t really like working without a plan. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I want the plan to be flexible and adaptable, but I do want a plan. This piece is also one of the first mixed media pieces that I’ve done, so I was also branching out into unknown territory with this unknown, unplanned project. There was just too much of the unknown with this one. I didn’t even know for sure when it was finished. More or less, I just decided that I was finished with it. I put a lot of pressure on myself to create a “masterpiece” every time I bring out a new sheet of paper. I have to constantly remind myself that it’s okay to decide something isn’t working and just throw it away. I have to tell myself that there is something to be learned in every failure and that it’s not the end of the world. Just throw it away and move on. I know that all sounds like common sense, but for some reason my brain has a hard time allowing me to fail.
Fortunately I am pleased enough with this artwork to keep it and not throw it away. I can’t say that I love it, but I at least like it well enough to share it with the world.
Fantasy Flowers is 18″ x 24″ on Strathmore’s 400 series Mixed Media paper. It consist’s of a watercolor background, oil pastel, colored pencil, and metal leaf.
Lisa Bliss Rush - Artist 