Farewell to Facebook as I Return to Large Intuitive Paintings - On canvas

Today I celebrate shutting down my Facebook pages and reclaiming precious moments to dedicate to creative endeavors in place of maintaining an online presence on the Facebook platform.  When I made the decision to streamline the time spent on my computer and spend far more time with paint, paper and canvas, a great weight was lifted from my heart and the artist within me began to dance again rather than stand there tapping her foot, waiting for her time to claim my focus.

I'm reclaiming approximately twenty hours a week of time spent preparing posts for social media and responding to comments made on those posts. My plan is to refocus those twenty hours in two directions, the first being studio time and the second is nurturing my current as well as new students who attend my online courses here on ExploreWithChrisCarter.com as well as on Skillshare.  These are the artists that truly deserve my time, attention and nurturing.  The dialogue between us is valuable to both me and my students.  I'm thrilled to watch them master their skills and push themselves outside of their comfort zones into new worlds of joy playing with line, shapes, values and colors ... textures, design, patterns and form ... movement, depth and pure experimentation.

With time, I'll be adding more of the shorter classes to Skillshare and the longer, more deep dive classes here on Explore.  You can expect one class (possibly more on occasion) on one of the two sites each month.

This blog will be my journaling joy, a place where you can follow a journey not limited to sketching and painting, one that reflects living a creative life in all aspects of daily living. Occasionally, I'll redirect you to one of my other blogs, blogs that I post to on a far less regular basis.

This new plan suits me.  I hope it suits you.  I look forward to enriched dialogue with you and a greater commitment to my studio, wandering through the mountain and StreetSmartGeometry rather than computer time. 

With a playful heart, I bid Facebook adieu and look toward brighter horizons.

The video I posted at the top of this post is Part One of the documentation of working stages of the painting No 1. This is a painting I began two days ago. I'm continuing to work on it as I will be for an unknown period of time ... until it lets me know it's complete and time to start another.. Each part of the documentation will be approximately ten minutes in length. The videos are made up of real time footage and time lapse footage.

Returning to painting on large canvases, working both on the floor and on an easel, I'm adapting the techniques I use on my large, abstract watercolors featured in both my Orb and Strata series. tThis new body of work on canvas I call "The 2020 Series". Beginning by developing layers patterns using acrylic paints as an underpainting, my thought is to transition into slight relief using twine as line work and glazes using oil paints to create depth and motion that expresses and creates a space for inner reflection and growth for myself and the viewer. 

I beckon you to join me as I guide you through the caverns of my brain and into the magnificent world where my creativity thrives.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Chris Carter