Everything’s Falling Into Place
‘Everything’s Falling Into Place’, 2021, Gouache and mixed media on paper, 9.5”x13”
The title of this painting is a reminder to myself, as an artist and human being, to trust the process I have set into motion.
As many of my paintings have been, this one was a surprise when it showed up looking like this, and I wisely declared it complete. It can be such an adventure getting to the place where the piece feels like it’s become what it was to be. If I’m able to see it clearly and really have it, I call it done. I knew I was complete here because I can feel the energy of this painting - it says hello to me. It’s alive.
As I often do, I started with my palette, and a clear idea of working with certain colors. I wanted to combine this turquoise blue with that magenta, and work with a few other key colors, plus black and white. It started to come together when I added the gray tones, which were not part of the original plan, but worked very well. My use of color is intuitive, I love playing with the relationships, emotions, and energy of color. I’m sure the colors I choose to use on any given day are vibrations I want to be in that day. Color is energy.
Working like this helps me find images, textures and marks that inspire other pieces. The next two images are close ups of this painting, and they look like paintings all on their own. Working intuitively as I do means I’m not planning everything out, but finding the piece as I work, by layering, scraping, texturing, and making marks. This allows for wonderful gifts to show up, like that wacky mime-clown guy in the middle of this piece. More importantly, I get to learn about painting by working this way.
If I start to overthink it or analyze it, I lose the magic.
Detail, ‘Everything’s Falling Into Place’
Sometimes the hardest part is just getting out of my own way and allowing the painting to happen without going into lots of effort.
Being in effort is really no fun, no matter what I’m doing. Everything feels stuck and difficult with effort, it’s the opposite of flow and magic. This is different from making an effort, ie; showing up and doing the work. Being in effort is not interesting energy, but it happens. When I find myself going into effort, I try to break through it by stepping away from whatever I got stuck in trying to solve, and work on something different, or make a mess, or clean something in my house. Yoga and movement and music help, finding something to laugh about can make a difference too. Getting some perspective is the key here.
I’ve learned that I will go into effort more easily when I feel insecure or unsure, and am not trusting myself. I forget to play and have fun, and end up trying to control it. If you’ve ever tried really hard to control something you couldn’t, you know how well that works. Letting go of control is hard, no matter the day, or task.
One of my favorite things about making abstract art is that it allows me to let go of perfection and solving.
Detail, ‘Everything’s Falling Into Place’
Becoming an artist has helped me find myself in more ways than I ever expected, just as becoming a conscious psychic has done. The two paths are linked for me. Consciously creating has helped me realize how very responsible I am for what I experience in my life - it’s my art and I made it.
Yes, there is much that I do not have control over, did not foresee, and have had to work with as it showed up in my life. This is life, we all have this.
Showing up to make my art has helped me find myself in the uncertainty that comes along with being human on this earth.
The original of ‘Everything’s Falling Into Place’, as of this writing, is available to purchase at my website. See it here in my shop. You can also find prints and objects with this image on them at my Fine Art America shop: Kris Cahill on Fine Art America.
