Saturday, February 9, 2013

How To Paint A Painting? Step Three: Set the Intention




Setting the intention for a piece of art is something that makes a big difference to not just the ease of creation but the essence of a piece. If I forget to set an intention, or I’m unclear about my intention or forget what the intention is half way through the piece, this is where I will find myself struggling with a painting.

And invariable, I just must simply ask myself, what was the intention? What are you trying to convey? WHY did you decide to paint this painting?  Once I remind myself of these answers, the painting always begins to work itself out and convey that emotion to the viewer.

And to help myself remember what my focus is for each piece, I also write a word or phrase on the back of each piece to remind myself of the intention. 

Below if a interview from the RAW Artist show, where I discuss intention in the creation process. Towards the end of the interview, we were discussing my intention when creating this male figurative piece titled Mmmmmm.


For you artists out there – do you set an intention to your piece before you begin? Why or why not?