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Recently, there was a battle with a predator raging in my studio. A wolf and I were going at it. No matter what I tried, I could not become the victor, so I submitted. That’s what happens when two wolves are fighting, one will submit… did you know that? Usually, pack animals won’t kill over dominance.

I had started a painting of a wolf in a river and it wasn’t cooperating. A loose, impressionistic piece with minimal brushstrokes was the vision that I had in my head. After working on it for a while, I realized that the painting had other ideas. As I painted fur and water, the image emerged into a realistic style… not at all what I had in mind. How could I have let this happen? Who is the boss of this studio, anyway?

Well, the hard truth is that my paintings are the boss of my studio, and I need to listen to them. Being open to change is for me what creating art is all about. Yes, one should have fun, but as the old saying goes, there is “pain” in the word “painting. When I struggle with and fight preconceived ideas, I feel exhausted at the end of a painting session.

Years ago, I started listening to my paintings. Colors, compositions and styles would change directions as the paintings evolved. Keeping my mind open would often lead to transformations in my work, but it was so HARD… but then, who ever said creating is easy? Having a clear direction makes painting easier for me, but then I wonder, am I being prejudiced? Have you looked at synonyms for the word, “prejudice”? Narrow-minded, bias, preconception and unfairness are some of the terms that you will find. I need to analyze my paintings as they evolve so that I don’t prejudice myself against them. As this painting of the wolf in the water evolved, all sorts of changes occurred. Water darkened and changed direction, fur changed color, water bubbles emerged and a rainbow trout became hidden in the swirling water. I have added some of the step-by-step pictures to my website to document the changes that I made.

I will admit that I like to work out as many details as I can before I start a painting, harkening back to my science background when I had to control as many variables in an experiment as I could. However, there is a danger of getting in a creative rut for me, if I don’t listen to my work. I look at my paintings as I do with my writing or when I design. Rearranging, editing, adding and subtracting are all part of the process of creating.

Playing it safe is comfortable, but not necessarily satisfying. My impressionistic wolf became realistic in style, and my realistic wolf head study evolved into an impressionistic piece, all because I paid attention to what those paintings were telling me.

Listen to your paintings, for you might be surprised at what you may hear.