Alena Hennessy - Intuitive Painting Workshop: Techniques, Prompts and Inspiration for a Year of Painting

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To all the visual artists of the world, both beginning and experienced: This book is for you and for our love of painting. May we never stop creating to satisfy our souls. May we continue to express what is beyond words. May we paint into the quiet hours of the night and at the delightful start of daybreak. May we continue to evolve as creators and never stop being students of this fine craft. May we always see painting as a celebration and metaphor for life.

And to my Year of Painting artists: You are lovely and gifted creatures! How brave you were to show up and paint for a whole year, some experienced and others just beginning. This book is truly dedicated to you.

I often share with my students that painting can be a metaphor for how one lives a life. Throughout my years of devoting myself to this fine craft, I have begun to see how there are certain steps to expect in the creative process or when you begin a new work.

In the beginning, when you first start a painting, you love it; its full of wild possibilities; its still open, unquestioned and ready for more attention. The work holds freedom; you begin instinctually (as we did when we were children), and you allow yourself to create with fewer concepts or expectations.

Then as more time passes and you go deeper into your process, the doubt comes up from within. You question your decisions; you feel unsure. You may even begin to feel stuck and not clear on how to move forward.

The painting has now entered the awkward stage, so you rework, refine and reinstate your intentions for this piecehowever you may feel about it. This is a pivotal part of the process and a turning point within intuitive painting.

At this point some surrender needs to happen. There needs to be some letting go, and ultimately some trust needs to develop. This is when accepting and feeling akin to your inherent mark and visual voice are so valuable.

You learn with time to be more comfortable with who you are as an artist. You learn to trust your unique style of mark-making and painterly strokes.

This same scenario can play out in life in many ways. A risk is needed to feel unstuck; then breakthrough can take place, followed by more refinement, more details and finally acceptance. A planned painting may take a more strategic and technical approach. With intuitive painting, we feel our way, allowing the painterly marks, colors, lines, shapes and so forth to guide us forward in our creative process. We turn off the thinking rational mind and paint from pure impulsewe feel into the work. This is just how we created when we were childrenand I feel there is a truth to be found within that. Its a process of allowing what comes, to witness our own understanding and to practice it again and again.

I have big love for the process of painting because it becomes a loyal friend, one that you will have for the end of your days, a place you can always go just for you. It provides quietude for the being, a mindful state, where you can unwind and almost meditate on a work.

It also brings you community (artist friends are truly the best); it can provide extra income and allows us to express what is beyond words. For ten years now I have been a full-time working artist, and I have seen time and time again how art can heal and transform lives.

Creating art is so innately human. I feel it is truly a gift you give to yourself. These are just my beginning thoughts on my love for painting. I encourage you to try it on, no matter your level of experience, and see what it does for you. I guarantee every time you sit down to paint, you will pick up and learn new things about yourself, new things about the process and gain slowly (with much practice) your own voice through this vast medium.

This book is a bit different than other how-to painting books out there. It is inspired by my popular online course, A Year of Painting, and includes the work of many of the wonderful artists who participated in the course, so youll receive an array of approaches and styles as examples for each monthly lesson.

My mission is to keep you motivated to paint all throughout the yearand the lessons can help you do that. I also work in a free-spirited way, one that is without too much structure yet still gives you plenty of techniques and ideas for creating your own work.

My suggestion is for you to take what moves you from the lessons and make it your own. Some steps you may totally leave out; others you may develop more deeply. Trust your gut and listen to your intuition when creating. This is what intuitive painting is all about, and with my years of practice its certainly become my favorite way to create.

You may want to practice a bit in your sketchbook (I suggest one with thick paper that can take a variety of water-based media) to practice on before moving onto nicer surfaces. You must put in the time and allow yourself to play for hours upon hours. This will help you develop your own personal style, and it will become stronger with time and practice. From the time you spend while painting you will suddenly become comfortable and inspired by your own aesthetic and style.

So look to the corresponding lessons to awaken the muse within you at the beginning of each month. Take in my examples and those of the other participating artists. Notice what ignites you visually, what stirs that longing to create. Pay attention to that because its important. It may be certain color combinations or use of line; it may be the implied texture in a work or the use of pattern. Certainly dont feel bad if you want to mimic a work you seeyou will still make it your own and your style will grow stronger with time.