"You're gonna ruin it." 

Those 4 little words are the artist's constant companion as they work. It tends to happen toward the middle/end of a piece, when most of the decisions have been made, when you've gotten it past that awkward teenage phase every painting goes through, and when you're starting to think you might really have something with this one. It's close, but it needs more. But....what if now you ruin it? 

Often times you could actually stop at that point, and people would accept it as finished. You could call it done, even though your eye sees things that could be improved. Do you dare? Knowing that the way these things go, a small area that needs attention usually results in the re-working of a large surrounding area? Knowing how you struggled to get that color mixed just right, scraping it down & painting it over again multiple times? Can you match that color again now? Do you feel lucky, punk? 

The voice in our own heads is often what stops us short of greater things, of pushing past our comfort zone into less familiar waters, even if we've been yearning to get to that point. 

With this painting, I finally let go of some of those fears and waded in. I had a painting that was acceptable, even quite nice. I was very pleased with.... most of it. I set it aside for 3 weeks before I decided I wanted more. The additional work resulted in going over the majority of the piece again, adjusting colors and temperatures. I actually did ruin it a bit, but found I had enough steady steeliness in my heart to wrestle it back. 

Learning to trust your skill is a huge part of making forward progress. And you must always be willing to ruin it, if you ever want to get to the next level you long for.

"Song of the Bluebird" 16x20, oil on canvas. Available for purchase, or to commission your own heartfelt portrait -- contact me for more info.

LAKE BLESSINGS #1

I've been thinking about this for awhile & with my work at the college on hold, I have some extra time. I live about 2 miles from the west coast of Lake Michigan.

Every day, the lake is a different color. It can be anything from blue to green, brown, and I've even seen patches of purple and yellow, depending on the weather and the sunlight.

So I am going down to the lake to quickly paint the colors, just a little 10 minute simple few swipes of the brush.

And given my mindset these days, distracted and worried about the corona virus, and staying in my house or studio as much as possible, I decided to add a blessing or benediction with each painting. 

Here is the first little painting, in a little 3" x 4" watercolor sketch book.

We are in a worldwide health crisis, and we must all work together to curb its spread, thinking of others instead of just ourselves, or our own inconveniences.

God be with us all.

Catching up, moving forward!

Wow, it's been a long time since I was active here, but I've certainly been active everywhere else! I'm still painting my heart out, loving creating portraits for people and telling their stories. I won't put all of them here, but you can check out more on my website at www.debmarett.com. But here are a couple very recent pieces, as I am working to prepare for having a booth at the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, in April. I'm so excited about this new direction, incorporating horses in with my portraits of people. The bond between horse and rider is almost magical, and my work celebrates that special connection.

I'm also including some scenes that really capture the action, which is another fun direction.

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait (with or without a horse included!) please contact me.

Announcing "Famous"

Starbucks has a great campaign going: "'Everylove' is for all the relationships in your life worth celebrating." A perfect time to announce my new project which will be unveiled fully in 2016 with a gallery show: "Famous" will celebrate the people I have encountered whose lives have had an impact on those around them, or who have lived in a way that makes a difference. Here are the first 2 1/2 portraits of my "Famous" people. For the next year and a half, these people, and telling their stories, will be my #everylove.  #whyareyoufamous

My Father's Tie, portrait

"My Father's Tie", Travis, Oil On Canvas. It's currently 24" x 30", but I'm going to re-stretch it to be 22" x 27". Removing some of the bottom & area behind him will strengthen the compostition--The image here has been cropped to reflect that.

I've been getting up at 5:30 or so every morning to paint before getting ready for work. It's a lovely way to start the day, with music and a dark house (except the 3 lights on in the studio trying to pretend it's daylight).

WIP, continued

As I work on this large portrait (24x30), I am learning more about trusting the paint & trusting the values. My mantra is "without light, there is no shadow, and without shadow there is no light."

Next I need to go in & really finish up the face (and put on his glasses!) and tie, before I get too surrounded with that background.

New portrait WIP

Started a new portait this weekend--painting looser than I think I've ever done, and loving it! I feel a freedom here that is fun, and a comfort & mastery of the paint that hasn't been there before.