The Expendable is Actually Essential

A recent 42 x 52 commission “Peace Rising” has multiple layers of water that no one will even see, but they were essential in arriving at this.

When I started my Art Talk blog, my intention was to give practical information that was useful in the areas of considering, buying, and installing artwork.

In addition, I also wanted to talk about the process of making art because I believe understanding more about the process enhances the enjoyment and appreciation of the art you buy. It’s one thing to love a painting, but quite another when you understand what went into making it, how the artist approaches the process of creating, and what the mental and emotional requirements are for creating art.

So, in today’s article I’m going to talk about process, and one of the foundational process pieces for me in my work: understanding that mindset is everything.

It might seem odd to think that mindset and thoughts play heavily into the creation of a painting, but for me, this is so true that it’s where I start to investigate when something is just not working. What am I feeling? Am I judging my work? Am I feeling urgent?

For instance, there have been times I have felt so stuck on a painting (for days or even weeks/months) that I literally have had to put it away and forget about it for awhile. Much later on, I come across it again and can start fresh—my old mindset has dissolved and I can now move forward again.

20x16 mixed media collage “Spring Dreams”

“Spring Dreams” is a recent painting I sold that started as purely abstract and then suddenly went a different direction. Why? Because I saw a flower vase amidst the chaos.

Those moments when I unexpectedly see something I’ve not noticed before are ones I’ve learned to pay attention to; they’re like a little sign with an arrow that says, “Go this way.”

So I pulled out another painting on paper that I hadn’t been that happy with and began tearing it up. Then I glued pieces of it to the surface of this one (a process known as ‘collage’). In this instance, it was not only a matter of being willing to go a different direction on the actual painting, but also to (literally) tear up a separate painting to use as materials. Being willing to make materials, ideas and even paintings expendable so that something new can emerge is an essential part of the process.

One thing I’ve noticed over all of my different careers in the arts:

Creation always involves some sort of purposeful or necessary destruction.

Many times I paint over something I’ve previously created so that something new can be born out of it. The video below is a great example of this—where the video starts is actually the initial marks of a paint over, so the original painting still shows through underneath. Creating can mean that I must let go of my plans for a certain work to allow for what really wants to emerge. It’s not uncommon for me to find that what must be dismantled is my current idea of the ‘destination’—I might be clinging to the idea of something that’s simply not working, or trying to ‘preserve’ a part of the painting, when the path forward actually requires I paint over it.

“Whispers of Spring” 36 x 36 in its ever evolving form, from start to finish.

Artists call this ‘being precious’; it’s a mindset that is absolutely incompatible with making exceptional art because it insists that every mark or every stroke of the brush has to be meant for the end product. The reason it’s relelvant is because once an artist decides that something is ‘precious’, then they step out of the creative flow and instead ‘protect’ things. In other words, if I have to save this lovely corner or this extraordinary mark then I have to control where the whole painting moves from here in order to do so.

The problem with this is that control doesn’t make wildly creative or beautiful things. It makes constriction and a block of the energy flow.

So to stay in the flow, everything must be expendable to the work. This is one of the most difficult exercises for an artist because it requires trust that if you go with the flow, you’ll eventually get somewhere wonderful. And sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you have to hang it up and start on something else, or realize you went too far and should have stopped earlier. This is how we learn about our work as artists. So that trust is actually a necessary choice.

We tend to think of ‘expendable’ as meaning ‘not necessary’, however when you’re talking about the creative process, sometimes it’s the expendable parts you never see in the finished product that are responsible for the harmony, clarity and allure of an artwork. In fact, they were the necessary steps that led to the finished painting, yet they had to be painted over along the way once the step was taken. Their visual contribution might have been deemed expendable, but their function was absolutely essential to what’s in front of you now.

20 x 20 Mixed Media “Quietude” in the early stages (L) and then in it’s final state (R). As you can see, there were lots of things that were covered up, but a few remain. However, ALL of them were essential to arriving at the final painting.

As cliche as it may sound, the earlier phrase ‘trust the process' is exactly the remedy for this type of situation. The truth is that there are a lot of marks and paint and materials that are simply not going to be visible in the end product, and that’s not only ok, it’s essential. The reason for this is that painting is a process—each mark, each decision leads to the next one and the next. But in the end, the viewer is only going to see some of those decisions and marks. The viewer only sees the surface, but that surface represents a deep and complex process. As an artist, you have to learn to respect this, understand it, and ideally to love it.

I say quite regularly that I love painting because it teaches me about my life. I mean this literally.

If I’m struggling with a certain thought or mindset in my work, I can know FOR SURE those same things are also showing up in my life, producing struggle and road blocks, because it’s all the same thing. How we think shapes our choices, and the way in which we take action on those choices. Painting has been one of my greatest teachers about my own mind and heart, and I’m a very willing student (usually ;).

I bet you had no idea that all of this went into one of the paintings hanging on your wall! But no matter the artist of that painting, I’m willing to bet they experience what I’ve described here. When you can begin to see the dynamic process in a painting, it just seems more interesting, substantial and alive.

And if you’re a painter wanting to improve your work, taking a look at what you’re thinking, being willing to shift your perspective, and developing a trust in the process will absolutely give you a break-through in your art.

Do you have any topics you’d like me to write about in Art Talk? Simply send me a message!

I love to talk about the power of art in our lives. I even wrote a free guide about it! Don’t let that piece of art you love just hang on the wall—really USE it to serve your dreams and aspirations.

You can grab that here just by clicking the ‘download now’ button.