Tales from an Artist's Journal...White Paper Terror

I wrote and published this article over a year ago, and the information it contains is still relevant today…it received a high number of views, so I felt it was time to have another look at the article and to explore more fully the topic of what I call “white paper terror” to that end I have rewritten some aspects of it...

White paper terror exists...I have seen it over and over in the classes I have taught over the years…that crippling sensation that attacks any artist as soon as a large sheet of white paper or canvas is put before them…there is an overwhelming silence as the painter stares blankly at the paper…two minutes before, they had thought they knew what they wanted to paint, now their minds are blank…it is really intimidating to a beginning painter, but I’ve also seen it terrorize experienced artists …

In my experience, I found that making a mark, any mark, circumvented that agonizing moment when you’re staring at the paper and can’t decide what to paint…of course if we all follow all the so called rules and keep a sketch book, there would have any number of ideas to turn into paintings and this article would not be necessary…
But the problem for me and for artists like me, was and still is, that I hate to sketch.

Sitting around with pencils and sketch pad is not for me…I want to paint…so I do line drawings, basic outlines once only, and then jump in with paint…
I dream up techniques and make a lot of notes…..notes of subjects to paint, on textures, mediums, and colours as well..sometimes I follow through with these ideas, but many have remained in my files for years before I looked at them again.. still others are still there languishing, waiting to be turned into a painting…the point is that as soon as I write them down they go somewhere into the vault of my memory, and when I start to paint some combination of my ideas appear on the paper as if by magic..so if you are not into sketching, write notes and keep journals..

In addition to notes, I keep journals filled with paintings, some small, some large, and some complete enough to be considered as finished paintings..I paint in journals as often as possible...

Once you get past the fear, the question of subject matter pops up... for me it always used to be food first and foremost…then landscapes, abstracts and flowers last…as with my cooking, I like to do something different each time…lately it’s been portraits….many times I was told “you must have a body of recognizable work for a gallery to consider even looking at one of your paintings”, and that to me meant doing the same thing over and over again… like eating “meat and two veg” every day of life …

The decision to please myself and paint what I wanted, in the way that I wanted, can be seen in my art pages…monoprint today, pastel tomorrow, inks the day after and mixed media the following day…the single element that ties them all together is the fearless use of colour…
If I do not have a subject in mind, I just start with the paint and let the colour tell me what to paint…e.g. when really stumped for ideas, monoprint is perfect……pour the paint on glass, turn the damp paper face down in it, turn up again and look at it…use the shapes that appear…if they don’t immediately shout ideas at you, leave it for a day or two, and come back to it later on …

I have been repeatedly described as a prolific a painter…my response is that I am painting in my head all the time….by the time I get to the paper or canvas, it all comes pouring out, without my having to think to much about it…I paint quickly…I have to, as time for me is always of the essence, [I was, and still am raising a husband and a son]....when I was given a commission by a magazine, it was usually just before the shoot, so I’ve learned to work very very fast…that does not mean that all the paintings are finished quickly…some, because of the complexity of the subject matter, do take a very long time, so I tend to work on several paintings at the same time …

To go back to the terror, not that we ever left it….let the colour dictate…forget the sketch pad and pour on any colour paint…don’t plan…stand up…...cover your work space with newsprint, wet your paper and pour paint freely….you’ll be surprised how effective it can be and you’ll never be intimidated by white paper again …Janis
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