The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. Ralph Waldo Emerson
In honor of my 65th birthday, I gave myself the gift of a journey of discovery.
I spent the past four weeks exploring parts of Portugal I did not know, traveling alone, in retreat, and with one of my dearest friends. This was both an external and an internal journey. I am not the woman I was only a few years ago. Everything in my life has shifted; my work, my family, my body, my activities, my interests, my attitude, my finances, and my friends. I am no longer in my prime. This year marks the milestone where I step fully into being an elder; a vibrant, wise woman opening her third act.
This was the best gift I could imagine - to spend a month curious, questioning, and open to the possibilities inside me.
I want to lovingly welcome this new woman living my life. To discover as much as possible about what she likes to do when there is no one else to please or care for. What does she like to eat, to wear? How does she deal with problems, with exhaustion, with sadness, with joy?
I deliberately chose to place myself daily in situations that stretched me well beyond my comfort zones.
My agreement with myself was to respect the limits of physical safety while engaging in at least one action every day that scares me.
So I stepped deliberately and placed my walking stick carefully on the rocky hikes but I also edged close and peered over the precipices. I allowed space for improvisation and magic.
Each day was an opportunity for me to discover myself newly without my usual reference points, without others calling me back to my old patterns and my old stories. Who am I now? How can I lead others into fuller versions of themselves? I know that I am more now than I have shown you in the past and I am capable of more than even I can imagine.
A month alone in a foreign country might not be a gift that you would give yourself.
But I am sure you have ways of stretching yourself that contribute to your growth process. I often tell my kids there is no one out there more critical or more threatening than the person who looks back at them from the mirror.
Growth is moving into the discomfort zone and making it comfortable. While some people find it easy to express their likes, dislikes, and desires, for me learning to love, honor, and hear my own interior guidance is hard work.
It is curious to me how much time I spent with the question of what do I want?.
How is it that I defer so often to the desires of others that I really have no idea what I am feeling inside?
I spent a lot of time discerning where it is in my body that I feel the response to my choices of “this” or “that”? Given a day to fill with anything or everything it took a lot to distinguish what calls to me and what does not.
The many stories I have about what I “should” do, say, and think kept getting in the way. I found myself reserving and then canceling hotel after hotel as I got clearer that I want a small hotel offering a personalized experience as close to nature as possible.
As I got clarity about when and what I wanted to eat, where I wanted to stay and the experiences I wanted to attract things got easier and easier. Towards the end of the trip, I was working more with “how much is enough?” and receiving with grace.
It surprised me how much my expectations influenced my response to everything around me.
Each town and each place I visited was very different from my imaginings.
When my expectations were too high, it appeared to me that someone else had to be at fault for disappointing me. But since I was alone that someone else is usually me... When foreign customs and language created misunderstandings it was usually my expectation that these things should be familiar that was the actual problem.
It was my story about how things should be that created my biggest challenges.
Over and over again foreign travel has shown me that there are many “right” ways to do things. It forces me to be more adaptable and opens my frame of reference and always seems to bring me back to myself.
Does that happen for you, too? Why is it so hard for us to see things as they are instead of as we are?
Doubt, Fear, and Lack were my constant companions. I am grateful for all of the work I have done over the years to keep them from dominating my choices.
There were many days I wanted to give up and take an easier, safer path but I am proud of the way I was able to keep them at bay long enough to conquer my fear of driving a stick shift up steep and narrow village alleys, of standing on the edge of a cliff over the rocky sea, of eating alone in a nice restaurant, or walking into a room full of strangers and turning them into intimate friends, or paying real money for tours, guides, and good meals.
I was able to get lost, find my way again, discern friend from foe, and find whom to ask for help when I needed it.
And I was able to recognize my own inner voice quietly guiding me along the way.
Another obstacle is my tendency to overpack. I noticed that I don’t just overpack my suitcase, but I overpack my days trying to fulfill a checklist of my own creation.
I struggle with balance and my story is that more is always better.
Over the month I improved at balancing rest and self-care with curiosity and adventure. I even came to the understanding that bringing presence and awareness to one activity could be enough to fill a day.
My treasures from this experience are the people who shared their stories, their accomplishments, and their days with me.
I was able to deepen old friendships and begin new ones everywhere I went. I met a man who created his own utopia out of the stone schist of the steep mountainside, young people opening up to the fullness of their purpose and life path, others who left the country of their origin to make Portugal into their home, people who graciously shared themselves and the things they love about this beautiful country, others who created experiences and opportunities to welcome and entertain the curious.
I was surrounded by passion and warmth everywhere I went. My heart is bigger and more open from this experience.
The Portuguese people are very kind, they move slowly, honor family and keep themselves close to nature's rhythm. Rest, connection and nourishment are the foundation for everything else.
I imagine our constant motion and busyness look very odd to them.
Fearless vulnerability is something I believe is critical to full artistic expression. Your art is all about how YOU see the world and your viewers want to see your truth and authenticity. Challenging your limits expands your ability to respond to your circumstances.
By embracing our obstacles and celebrating joy I think we step fully into improvisational living; “life as art”.
One of my friends once said, "you can't get lost during vacation because travel is all about adventure and improvisation". It is on journeys such as mine that discoveries are made. When you are fully present with what "is" then anything becomes possible. Perhaps you feel something new and exciting is calling you too?
I discovered that I am happier, more compassionate, and more generous now than I have ever been.
Facing my fears, conquering obstacles, and braving new situations brought me confidence and trust in my own resourcefulness.
I hope that next year you will join me on a journey of artistic discovery in Portugal. I am planning an 8-day retreat in the western Algarve next June and I would love to include you. Please reach out to me if you are interested so we can talk more about what would light you up too. I will have many more details to share with you next month.
With Light and Delight,
Once I have a basic tonal value sketch based on a photograph it’s time to use my magical artistic powers to transform or "re-vision" the image into art. As an artist, I have the power to make my paintings sing or create a believable new world enclosed within its four edges. To build your skills beyond being a copyist and become more expressive in your work you have to see beyond the photograph and then build on it.
I always start with my focal point. This is the first place I want the viewer's eye to land. An important rule of composition is that the eye is attracted to the greatest point of value contrast before any other contrast. The human eye is drawn to something light set against something darker or vice versa. By carefully using tone you can create, or strengthen, the focal point in your paintings.
Next, I examine my three-dimensional forms: A careful transition of light and dark tones on a subject gives the illusion of three-dimensional form. It is not the color that makes an apple look like an apple. It is the contour and the form shadow that describe its shape and texture. You could color it blue or yellow, and it will still look like an apple if the tones are right.
Using tone correctly also creates an illusion of depth; the farther away an object is from the viewer the more it takes on the value of the background.
Repetition of particular shapes also adds rhythm and meaning. Rounded forms are more sensual and comforting, angular shapes more threatening, and geometric shapes more conventional. I look for areas where I can adjust my shapes to add emotion at this stage.
Capturing emotion is an art in and of itself, and it’s not automatic. Allowing one value tone to dominate your painting can play a significant role in developing mood and visual impact. Out of the three aspects of color, (hue, value, and saturation) value is the predominant mood maker!
Whether you work in realism or abstraction, planning and revising your work to strengthen the tonal values will produce stronger, more meaningful artwork.
Restricting the range of values is another way you can direct the mood of your artwork. This is called the “Major Key”. A limited tonal range at the light end of the value scale is called “High Major Key” and a limited tonal range at the dark end of the value scale is called “Low Major Key”.
Low-key paintings dominated by darks have a dramatic mood conveying things we sense about darkness, such as mystery, intrigue, fear, danger or sanctuary.
High key paintings dominated by pale colors give the sense of being bathed in light, setting a more ethereal mood. They can suggest optimism, clarity, and life, but there is also the danger of appearing weak, vague, and washed out.
“Minor Key” is manipulating the contrast (difference) between the darkest dark and the lightest light in your value range. The greater the contrast (difference) between the dark and the light tones, the more the visual intensity or dynamic increases. The greater the affinity (closeness in tones) the more the visual intensity or dynamic decreases.
You might want to experiment by transforming your value sketch using several different Major/Minor Key combinations to evaluate their impact on the mood of your piece. If you are skilled with ProCreate or Adobe Photoshop this is a very simple process.
Below is a chart with a variety of Major/Minor Key settings for you to contemplate.
Now that you know that you are probably missing visual information about the world around you, see if you can awaken your perception to notice whether or not an apple is truly red when it looks violet at twilight.
Can you actually see the violet apple, but still know it is red? Does your brain effortlessly subtract the blueish veil from the red apple and “restore” the “true color”.
What happens when you try to see what is actually there, not what you think you see?
It is fun to play this mind game with color and tone, real and not real, seeing and perceiving, truth and invention. Can you see how much easier it will be to apply your color and have fun with color contrast once you have your tonal value sketch ready? I will dig deeper into the application of color in another newsletter.
Training yourself to “see like an artist” opens up a whole world of perception that has been waiting for you to awaken to it. Suddenly you will begin to see things in your daily life in a way you never noticed before.
Jonathan Swift says “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”
For this we have to be a little courageous, we have to experiment and try, we have to make mistakes and trust that our perceptions will expand through experimentation. Once you can open yourself to this way of seeing you can paint pictures that jar regular people out of their well-worn habits of seeing.
If you are interested in understanding more about tonal values and still only have a blurry idea about how artists see, reach out to me and let’s talk. I welcome the conversation and I am available for private classes or workshops. I hope you will use these thoughts to strengthen your perceptions and your paintings. Regardless of your art form, understanding how to play with tonal values can significantly improve your creations. With Light and Delight,
Better choices about what's essential in your life and your art.
Life is complicated.
I’ve been feeling overwhelmed recently and you probably feel the same. Too much change, too much divisiveness, too much information, too much pain, too many choices, too many decisions, and too much detail. The abundance current is flowing like a firehose, breaking down the old, revealing what’s been hidden underneath and I feel out of breath from swimming to keep up with it all.
I need to breathe. I need time to pause and reflect.
One of the advantages of being older and wiser is having more tools for problem-solving. When it feels like everything matters and everything is urgent the tool I use is to create a space where I check in with myself and realign with what really matters to me.
I have done years of work clarifying my personal values, my purpose, and what it feels like to be fulfilled and satisfied. Good health, freedom, deep connections, learning, reflection, joy, creation, and teaching are most important to me. Knowing what is essential helps me to identify my priorities and pass on those problems that are not mine to solve.
The story below is really helpful to me in differentiating from everything that calls to me.
There once was a philosophy professor who was giving a lecture. In front of him, he had a big glass jar, a pile of rocks, a bag of small pebbles, a tub of sand, and a bottle of water.
He started by filling up the jar with the big rocks and when they reached the rim of the jar, he held it up to the students and asked them if the jar was full. They all agreed, there was no more room to put the rocks in, it was full.
“Is it full?” he asked.
He then picked up the bag of small pebbles and poured these into the jar. He shook the jar so that the pebbles filled the space around the big rocks. “Is the jar full now?” he asked. The group of students all looked at each other and agreed that the jar was now completely full.
“Is it really full?” he asked.
The professor then picked up the tub of sand. He poured the sand in between the pebbles and the rocks and once again he held up the jar to his class and asked if it was full. Once again, the students agreed that the jar was full.
“Are you sure it’s full?” he asked.
He finally picked up a bottle of water and tipped the water into the jar until it soaked up in all the remaining space in the sand. The students laughed.
The professor went on to explain that the jar of rocks, pebbles, sand, and water represent everything that is in one's life.
The rocks represent the most important things that have real value – your health, your family, your partner. Those things that if everything else (the pebbles and the sand) was lost and only they remained, your life would still have meaning.
The pebbles represent the things in your life that matter, but that you could live without. The pebbles are things that give your life meaning (such as your job, house, hobbies, and friendships), but they are not critical for you to have a meaningful life. These things often come and go, and are not permanent or essential to your overall well-being.
If you fill the jar in the opposite order there would be no room for the rocks. No room for what’s essential to you.
Written by Siddhi Latey (Weloquent)
This lens of essentialism will improve your artwork as well as your life. Our paintings often try to say too much, with too much information. When we don’t really know what it is that we want to say we have no idea what belongs on the canvas and what belongs in the discard pile.
It's easy to overwhelm your viewer with all the information in your scene and all the marks and shapes you fell in love with.
Whether you are a realist or an abstract artist what’s essential to your art is distillation - expressing your idea in the simplest way possible using shape, composition, and color.
This system of essential questions can help you to evaluate your artwork as it evolves from concept to completion. They are the rocks in your composition.
Essence:
What matters most in this artwork? Can you express your idea with less?
Is there one corner that you love more than anything, a mark or line that moves in a particular way? Could you format (crop) the image to contain just that one thing and eliminate the rest?
There is always a choice, and we can simply leave out what is not needed to tell the essence of our story. Ask yourself if you can tell the story using just 20% of the information in your resource image? How much of the other 80% of the detail could be sublimated into a larger value zone?
Is there a clear path of priority through your artwork? Pick and choose what stays and goes so you amplify the essential and delete or diminish the rest.
I'm going to use this photo as an example of how to zero in on the essence of an artwork and how to apply the essential questions.
What attracts me the most in the photo we started with is the waterfall. Here are two formats that capture the essence of this waterfall.
Shape:
What are the main structural forms in your image?
Asymmetrical shapes are more appealing. Can you adjust yours to be less symmetrical?
Could you say what you need with fewer shapes? Are there smaller shapes to combine into a larger mass that interlocks with two or three sides of the canvas?
Have you considered the negative space as a shape?
Value:
Squint at your image… Is the simplest, essential form of the image apparent?
How have you used a limited value range to set your mood? When you set the endpoints of your value scale in a smaller range emotion is enhanced.
Is the strongest contrast of light/dark at your most important event?
How are you using value to separate one shape from another?
Do you have a clear 2-value pattern (Notan) that conveys the essence of the image?
What happens when you add more values? How can you use value zones to contain and compress detail?
I think the vertical image has a more interesting pathway and interlocking asymmetrical dark shape than the horizontal one above.
Squint at this image...Is the value pattern more interesting? What you are seeing is a two-value separation (Notan). Does this capture the essence of the waterfall in the original image?
Can you follow a clear priority pathway through it? How might I improve on the pathway?
Here is how the image might look with more values. These additional values are being used to separate my large shapes into smaller ones.
As I add the details back in I associate the details with a larger value zone. Each value zone has a limited range of values in it.
My biggest value drop is in the correct rule of thirds location and I can exaggerate the effect of the waterfall hitting the river to enhance the pathway through the painting.
Color:
Consider the color grouping you will employ for harmony & mood?
Will your painting be based on a particular color or color arrangement that contributes to its essence?
Which color interaction will have priority in each of the following three contrasts?
Choose one for each contrast of:
Hue - similar/dissimilar
Value - low/med/high
Saturation - low/medium/high
Hue is the name of the color, usually one of twelve around the color wheel. Saturation is the strength of the hue. Saturation is reduced by adding black, white, or a complement to a hue. Value is the range of light/dark in your colors.
Play (Variation):
Play is the pebbles in your container of composition. Play doesn't just help us explore what is essential it is essential in and of itself. Play creates the poetry in your work.
Variation and difference keep the composition interesting and alive. Map the pathway of priority through the artwork as you vary the interval, length, height, angle, weight, color, and value of your shapes and marks.
In this painting my color harmony is split complementary - Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green
Choose one for each contrast of:
Hue - similar/dissimilar
Value - low/med/high
Saturation - low/medium/high
Notice the variations in height, angle, weight, color, and value of the roses.
Is the essence clear?
In this painting, my color harmony is Analogous - Green, Blue, and Violet. warm colors are extremely limited and neutralized. Choose one for each contrast of:
Hue - similar/dissimilar
Value - low/med/high
Saturation - low/medium/high Notice the variations in height, angle, weight, color, and value of the architecture and the hydrangeas. Is the essence clear? Can you tell what inspired me here?
Finished:
One of the hardest and most essential questions is how to tell when your painting is finished.
It seems like there is always more you could do and more you could add. Your painting is not just about regurgitating the facts but about returning to what inspired you to create it. Reflect on your original intent when you chose the essence of this artwork. How did you live up to your vision for your artwork? Is there unity? Poetry? Perhaps you did not attain your entire vision for the piece. But, if you captured the essence of your inspiration you have more than enough.
At some point, you need to declare the artwork the best you can do at this time. If the essence of the piece truly inspires you, remember you can return to the point of inspiration and create a series of variations on your theme. Done is better than perfect. I often return to old artworks years later, pop them out of their frames and revise them with what I learned.
In situations of overwhelm in art and in life, less is more.
There is relief in amplifying the essential and leaving the rest. Picking and choosing what belongs and what does not is essential. Understanding the difference between the things that feel urgent and those that are truly important not only reduces overwhelm but is critical self-care.
Efficiently completing urgent but unimportant tasks keeps me from being effective in the areas that matter most to me. Reflecting on what is essential helps me to reorder my priorities and be effective as a human, an artist, and a teacher.
In art as in life, having a system returns our effort many times over. Figure out your priority list. Reduce or omit what holds you back. Walk away from dead ends. Amplify yourself and your work by concentrating on and creating more of what matters.
Interested in amplifying your effectiveness as an artist? Reach out to me and let’s talk. I welcome the conversation and the opportunity to expand with you. With Light and Delight,
Susan Convery
