Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Alternate Hand Painting

    There is theory which is what we study in a classroom and then real life where theory often flies out the window. So what happens when an artist loses the use of their dominant right hand?
Blue Chaos
An interesting exercise in my painting classes has been to draw and paint with the non-dominant hand to facilitate a shift in seeing and viewing the world. Theory says that one side of our brain is more intuitive and the other more linear and logical. Fun to do in a two hour session. Due to an accident that broke my right wrist real life has crashed my world of theory and I have had to rethink everything I do. For the past two months I have been trying to function with one arm and the non-dominant one. It has been frustrating to say the least. I just want to pick up a brush and paint the way I have always done. That isn't happening. When I use only my left hand I find the shift is into chaos and I feel anger that my right hand seems unable to step in.
I love loose abstraction so it isn't that I am a tight detail painter. I am still sorting it out and will be glad when my right hand is in full use again. An awareness has developed of how important both sides are in creating from a place of centered wholeness. Hopefully some of the chaos will have settled into finished paintings for the Beach Studio Tour April, 29th, 30th and May 1st.