The Pure Joy of Painting

'A Magical Memory'              5x7          pastel            ©Karen Margulis
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 Painting is truly Magic. Artists take a blank canvas or piece of paper and create something from nothing.  What could be more exciting than to create a new world on a flat surface.  This is what I love best about painting. Creating something from nothing is such a great feeling. It is pure joy.

I went through a photography stage before I decided to learn how to  paint. I love photography. Capturing beauty and interest with a camera is also magic.  But painting is even better.  Painters don't have to wait for the right light or the perfect moment. We can imagine it. We can invent it. We can create it.

'Blue Sky Day'                5x7            pastel
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Some artists develop a fear of the blank canvas. It is scary. What if you mess up?  I don't let this fear stop me. In fact  I am never afraid of a blank surface. To me it represents possibilities. A chance to create a new reality. It doesn't matter if the painting doesn't turn out. It is the process of creating that is the high. Besides we can always fix it.

The original paintings before my touch ups

Take today's paintings. I unearthed them from a dusty pile of older work. (I never throw anything away)  They were plein air studies on Pastelbord. They were some of my very first plein air efforts that I did while on a painting retreat to Creighton Island, Georgia. That was probably 5 years ago or more. They weren't awful but they were dull and dingy and didn't really represent the true beauty of the island.

So I decided to touch them up. It was Pure Joy to take out my pastels and bring these little paintings back to life. All they needed were a little TLC, workable fixative and some nice soft Terry Ludwig pastels!

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