3 paintings finished same day ©Felipe Adan Lerma – New Hat, Titan Green Pale Impressionist Abstract 1, Burnt Sienna Impressionist Abstract 1 : Feb 2022
I’ve come across many varied and sometimes surprising mentions of the value of starting many paintings —
- let my inspiration sing!! ie, pour out as it appears and thus not lose the beginning of an idea
- release the pressure to perfect and finish any one work & get stuck
- allow time for paint to dry
- allow my eyes to have time to see a started work new
- give a paintings in a series time to evolve together creating cohesiveness
- let paintings in a series begin to influence each other with newly discovered “goodies” in any one work
- give a series a better chance of evolving to a finish
- not let myself get bogged down or discourage about any one work – it can sit, and wait for my creative self to be ready for it when I sense the need or answer how to evolve or finish it
- Plus, contributed by Aprille in the comments – “One more I’d add for myself personally is that having multiple pieces on the go eliminates that inertia I struggle with when I find myself between paintings” — good one, esp when “looking” for something to dab on when short on time or, as Aprille says, looking for a way out of one’s inertia, one of the 2 constant forces in our universe it seems, lol!
Other ideas I’ve read are also along the one or more of the above ideas, one of which, not letting any one work become what several writers / artists have called, a work too “precious” to let rest, then over-working it, took me until very recently to get a beginning handle on.
But one idea I haven’t read much of, as a benefit of beginning many works and working them as them appeal or draw me back to them, is that it’s fun 😊
I can flit from one work to another, one style of works to different style, begin something entirely new, and am finding it usually will also either fit into an existing series, or look very good for the start of a brand new series. Eventually of course finally finishing some paintings, lol!
How and why I feel these 3 are complete, is my surer and surer feeling I want ( need? ) my work to be interesting both from a mid to far distance, and up-close. All three have been great to explore up close, right from the first pass throughs. Getting them attractive mid to far distance, that’s taken me some doing! But definitely becoming part of the fun!
Above, the two color field abstract panoramas are already part of a series, including two works I recently had accepted at a show at Art for the People Gallery here in Austin.
The other, the vertical figure work, New Hat, though one of many figure works I’ve explored and painted just the last few years, could well represent one of those latter new ideas benefitting from starting lots of new works – beginning a new series.
New how?
New Hat does combine an acrylic background with a watercolor figure; plus a large-in-the-frame figure with a varied abstracted background, but what is new is how extensively the figure is literally shaped with molding paste. How exactly this may evolve I’m not sure yet – but I definitely want to find out 😊 ❤️
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Meanwhile, here in Austin, we’re hoping to have drinkable water sooner rather than later this week, even with the hot water at our place being turned off mid-week for a boiler repair, lol!
Stay well everyone! 🙏
Adan
ps – as mentioned, the 3 paintings presented top of the post are finally finished – I plan separate posts for each as I get better shots of them, with some along-the-way progress pics to show how they changed; plus, no surprise, I have several more of the panoramic color field textured abstracts also in-progress; and at least two more large-in-frame figure works against an abstract background, though the backgrounds are quite different each-to-each right now; we’ll see which abstract style background might morph into a series type of its own ☺️ 👩🎨 🎨
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My Latest Posts On My Website!
- Follow-up blog post after my 1st blog post since August 2025 earlier this week – Definitely like starting new!“The relinquishing of one’s art, my art, to myself, is sometimes more scary than gearing my productivity to outside expectations”
- My 1st blog post since August this year (2025) – Like starting new!“My plan, my hope, is to keep this, my original layin, produce a new 2nd similar layin but add a content color layin; keep it; then repeat the steps with the two formative layers and see what finished product I might produce – 3 works total”
- Poetry and Art 2025 : 1st Wings 2025 8×10 – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊Excerpt from my original poem for 1st Wings — “teasing smiles from her wide eyes as trembles aches stretched sweet like taffy….” – Adan –
- Poetry and Art 2025 : Scratches Made Whole 11×14 2025 – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊“she felt herself in pieces gathered her sharp edges slowly – – her smoother edge moments gingerly in a dance of yes and no” – Adan –
- Thrust 2025 11×14 Fearless, With Hope, Through the Chaos – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊“Ancient earth tones touched her feet swam underneath her skirt brushed her skin with raw silk cells” – Adan –
- Poetry and Painting – Thrust 2025 24×36 Into the Void – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊“Leaping thrusting herself into the void of life’s light” – Adan –
- Poetry and Painting – Thrust 2025 24×36 Whispering – by Adan – @SaatchiArt 😊“Leaping thrusting herself into the void of life’s light” – Adan –
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Thanks again, everyone! 😊
Adan
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