I got nothin’.

Ideas? Sure. Ideas are the easy part of a painting. I could come up with enough ideas to keep me painting for a week in one ten minute session in the bathroom, reading the framed menu from John’s Pizza Cafe that our Shadowrun crew gave us as a going-away present.

But as soon as I hit the page, I got nothin’. The ideas are there, the reference is there, I’ve got cactus and weirdness and whatall, but the results suck donkeys. I have art block. Bleh. Being me, and thus as stubborn as a concrete mule, I keep pushing paint around. Various texturesinterest me, but I can’t put ’em together into anything worthwhile. About the only thing so far that’s piqued my brain is looking at the work of James Christensen, which makes me want to paint things where I throw anatomy screaming to the wind. But meh.

This happens to me only rarely, and fortunately, has no actual impact on my commercial skills. But when, as now, I could paint ANYTHING I WANTED, I have the time, I have supplies, I have carte blanche to spend a week or two doing nothing but painting whatever I feel like–I am overwhelmed. I got nothin’. Possibly it’s PMS related, in which case I got nothin’ for another day or two, and then maybe my brain will settle down.

‘Course, there was this…

They say you should paint what you know–in this case, portrait of the artist blocked. I dunno why the paintbrush wings–it’s hideously bloody cliche, and unlike most people, I have never, ever, had any desire to fly. Offer me the chance to soar like an eagle, and I will thank you politely and try to trade it in for a bag of wombat chow.

I suppose I could do a painting of a blocked artist…