Down with Perfectionism. Embrace Clutter!

Parable on Klimpt, Susan Giannantonio
30 x 22" mixed watermedia on paper

In the words of Anne Lamott, when we attempt perfectionism we will block inventiveness and playfullness. In the wonderful book Bird by Bird, Ann says "Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. Tidiness suggests that something is as good as it's going to get. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground--you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip."

Painting Inspiration: Winslow Homer

Girl Carrying a Basket, 1882, Winslow Homer

In recent months Winslow Homer's gorgeous watercolors have piqued my interest. He utilized several techniques that modern watercolor instructors seldom endorse or teach. In fact he used anything and everything necessary to achieve his beautiful results. For instance, he often used opaque white watercolor, sometimes mixing it with color, to highlight certain areas of the painting. He often abraded the paper with knives and sandpaper. He used rough paper. He even used breadcrumbs to achieve a texture similar but more subtle than salt.