While trying out a handful of various watercolor brushes, I found myself creating an intuitive watercolor painting. It’s quite fun and relaxing, intuitive painting.
If you aren’t familiar, intuitive painting is having no preconceived idea of what you are even going to paint. There’s no plan. No subject matter. Each line, wash, layer of paint that I lay down hopefully propels the painting forward, and the image takes on a life of its own as it grows. I have no idea what the painting is going to become — it happens as we go and it may change direction several times. In simplest terms, it’s doodling.
As you paint intuitively, you may start to notice details in random washes of color and in line work. For example, a squiggle line looks like a branch of a tree, or an odd shape might look like a cat. Why would there be a cat in the painting, you might ask? It doesn’t matter why. If a puddle of paint wants to be a cat, let it be a cat. It’s similar to finding shapes in the clouds. Let the painting take shape and then morph.
The process is freeing because the painting doesn’t have to look good or even look like anything specific. It can be abstract. You can explore your imagination and perhaps your mood might even reveal itself in the randomness. It’s a great way to find your artistic style, and a great way to experiment and express yourself. It’s an escape, even – I tune out the world and anxiety, and I paint. Intuitive painting promotes creativity, it frees us from rules, and its great practice to becoming a better artist.
I have no name for the piece I created, as it had no subject. Labeling it could identify it, yes, but I also think it could rob the piece of its free nature. I think it’s a stream of consciousness collage of visions and messages. I think it’s whatever you see in it or however it speaks to you. It’s interaction with you is to make you think and wonder.
