Time to Paint

Do you ever time your painting sessions?

In my workshop Time to Paint, we engage in exercises that require you to paint (or collage or make marks) continuously, without hesitation, for a given segment of time. These range from 20 seconds to 30 minutes, and we do a LOT of them.

I have found that given a limited time to create a compelling image or visual statement, the brain has to get out of the way, and I have to make visual decision more quickly and intuitively. We begin with fairly directed exercises, with specific parameters, then move on to open ended timed painting.

This workshop is an opportunity to give your visual response a workout (and your brain a rest). You will also have time to work on the images generated by the timed experiments, and see how the exercises have affected the fluidity of your process. 

I am offering Time to Paint as a live stream workshop on Zoom, through Port Townsend School of the Arts, September 8 - 10. No travel necessary, work from you own studio! Space is limited. Take a look at the specifics, and sign up here.

Three pieces, 19"x25", on my wall, after a thirty-minute painting session

A group of five-minute paintings, each 9"x12" on cheap drawing paper

Check out the workshop here. Or try timed paintings on your own!

30-Minute Mark Making

30-Minute Mark-Making is an exercise I do when I'm not feeling particularly focused, or if I need a jumpstart in the studio. It's pretty simple, but not easy. Basically, you just paint/collage/draw for thirty minutes, in a continuous manner.

1. Choose your format, i.e. size and material of substrate. In the videos I am working on three 19"x24" sheets of Bristol, which are pinned to the wall.
2. Get out your materials. I'm using a paint, a bit of collage (and matte medium for adhesive), graphite, and Caran d'Ache NeoColor II crayons.
3. Start the timer and get to work. Stop (optional) when the thirty minutes are up.

The point is to practice NOT hesitating, judging, trying to plan the next steps. So as soon as you DO hesitate (which is inevitable), catch yourself and make a mark. You'll see this in the second video, I do hesitate and then notice that and keep going.

The first video is the first round of the 30-minute exercise in time-lapse. The second video shows actual time and I chat a bit about what's going on in my head.

This is where the first 30-minutes ended up.

This is where the second video ends up. These are all still works in progress, but they are looser and more surprising, or at least different, than if I had not imposed the 30-Minute rule.

The hardest thing about this exercise is to remember that CONTINUOUS work for 30-minutes is the ONLY rule. You don't have to cover the page or the multiple substrates, you certainly don't have to finish anything; you don't have to make anything you like; you don't have to work fast.

I would love to hear of your experience if you try this. You can change the time frame if you like - twenty minutes, or an hour, or five minutes - as long as you stick to the continuous rule. Let me know how it goes!