Possibilities

"Possibilities" • 14"x 25" • soft pastel on La Carte sanded pastel card • 2019

The idea for "Possibilities" came to me while I was on a walk. I was taking a break from another painting of this same girl, getting some exercise and reflecting on things.

I know how important it is to get outside, to free my mind while moving my body. I quite often discover a new perspective on a problem while I'm on a walk or run. So, when a vision for this painting popped into my head while I was walking, I laughed out loud, because how funny - it seemed so, almost predictable, actually.
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"I Dare You" • 12"x 19" • soft pastel • 2019

​Side note: You can probably guess, but I was also inspired for the previous painting of this girl (the piece shown here entitled "I Dare You") while on a walk.

​Of course.
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I was noticing the shadows the leaves cast on the ground when it suddenly occurred to me how I wanted to paint her sunlit hair. 

"Possibilities" in Progress

I thought it might be interesting to show the progression of creating this piece. This is my largest pastel painting to date and it was, to be honest, a little brain-straining. I really enjoyed creating it, but I had to step back and take a lot of breaks from it so I could keep my original vision clear through to the end.

Week 1: I lay out a basic sketch.

Week 2: I refine the face and add more detail. It's a challenge to get the hair the way I imagine it should be.

I start to put in color, using intuition.

Week 3: I think I'm almost done. I set it aside for many days in order to get a fresh perspective.

​For me, this painting is all about what could be possible - if we don't limit ourselves to what we think is true. In art we can easily blur the lines of "reality" and "imagination". Why not in life as well?

​Imagine the possibilities. :)

And P.S. Take a walk. ;)

"Possibilities" completed.