Gelatin plate prints, practicing greens

As the weather cooled a bit this week, I’ve been working in the garden. The green foliage of summer is beginning to show tinges of yellow and red. In the late afternoon, backlit leaves are brilliant chartreuse. I was struck by the immense variation in the greens and wanted to bring those colors into my studio.

I started by setting an intention to practice variations of late summer green. I chose to use some old paint that I almost threw away, leaf stencils, and cheap paper. I didn’t give myself any pressure to produce a finished piece of art.

I enjoy this type of activity in the studio because it allows me to:

1. Warm up – If I don’t have a clear idea of what to do in the studio, starting to layer paint on paper can get the creative juices flowing.
2. Meditate – Sometimes I have worries swirling around in my mind and doing repetitive motion activity allows me to process those thoughts. It could be sweeping or walking, but it can just as well be playing with paint.
3. Learn – Doing many variations of the same thing creates muscle memory for how much paint to use, how each kind of paper works, and how the plate reacts to weather.
4. Incubate ideas – These pieces aren’t finished “art”, but they enter my subconscious and will appear in later work.

Do you think I accomplished my intention of producing autumnal greens? What kind of low-pressure activities do you practice in your studio?