My dear student had a vision of three orange orbs. She felt compelled to paint them in the first layer. So there they sat, three orange orbs, and everything that came after had no place to go. The orbs remained undeveloped and unsurprising, and sat in this stalemate for months. Finally, she let go of the orb idea and let her intuition take her painting someplace new. After a while, lo and behold, the orbs reappeared in radiant glory and settled into their now well-developed home.
So many times I've seen abstract painters get frustrated that their vision doesn't translate directly into paint.
I say, think of your vision as only a clue. In its own good time it will become reinvented in the language of paint, infused with your life force!
So, let it play in the back of your mind while you paint a home for it. Fill that home with enthusiasm and spontaneity and the energy of your vision. Let the energy be a counterpoint, so that when the vision does land, in its own natural way, it can come alive.
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