Mar_19 Confidence!

I’ve been painting regularly for over four years as well as showing and selling my art. It feels like an appropriate time to take a step back and ask myself what has changed and evolved over this time.

The most important shift is in the area of confidence. Today when I approach a blank canvas I have a history of doing this over four hundred times already. My first steps used to feel like tottering baby steps…filled with wonder, confusion, curiosity and trepidation. Now I approach a canvas with more ease and calmness and still the curiosity remains as I wonder what this creation will look like.

There is an interesting balance that I strive to maintain between confidence and creativity. It’s important for me not to do the same thing over and over again just because it’s easy and the road has been paved already. I keep challenging myself to try new things and invite myself to experiment. I believe that true confidence is the process of trusting myself despite the inherent uncertainty of the process. I can bring with me the certainty that I am a match for the new opportunity.

Here are several paintings from my earliest days and following that are several of my most recent paintings. I don’t know if my increased confidence is noticeable to others. To me there is a freshness and innocence with the earlier works and a seasoned knowing in the later works. I’m interested to know if others see this too.

Earlier paintings . . .