Painting Party

Often painting is a very solitary past time or career. It takes focus and concentration, allowing oneself to become lost in the paint. Music often helps to set the mood. For me, sometimes, silence is better still. That is one of the things I very much enjoy when visiting Peter Gric at his country studio home.

When there is an opportunity paint with other artists, it is something special. After some good food and wine, everybody settles down with their paint and music in the background. After a time the banter becomes more sporadic, until a busy silence settles upon the group. Periodically people look up from their world of colour to gaze upon the others delving into their own outer expression of an inner journey.

Painting is strange, in that you are working on a two dimensional surface, yet delving into a multi-dimensional inner world. Having other people around you, engaged in the same activity, is soothing and feeds your own focus. We all fall into a collective “Zone”, the state of being where the inner dialogue ceases and the creativity flows.

Consequently we all kept going until our eyes would not stay open and our mouths would not stay shut because of yawning. This is the reluctant point where we all must clean the brushes and turn in for the night.

Thanks to Elizabeth Banker, Kevin Campeau and Rachele Bowden for the great company.