The Show Must Go On.

  

   Sometimes it takes going through tough times to realize what's important to you. I had that moment recently when I hurt my left arm and my lower back at my day job. Nothing too serious, but I missed a day at work and the injuries did warrant multiple visits to the doctor.  

   I was told by the doctor that I needed to do light duty at work for a while and since it was my dominant arm that was injured, when I asked about creating art, I was told that I should also refrain from drawing and painting for a couple of weeks. 

    I heeded the advice of my doctor, I took Ibuprofen, used heat on my injuries, and did the stretches they recommended. I also took time off from creating art. However, after the first week away from art, I was going stir crazy and could feel my mental health declining. That was something that I was not okay with. I cannot be without art.

  So, I decided I would create art anyway, but instead, I would use my non-dominant hand!!

                                                              Things are Looking Up, 8"x10" Acrylics, 2022.

  This is not the first time I have done this, in fact, about 10 years ago, before I ever went back to school, I was looking for a new way to challenge myself. I decided I would teach myself how to paint with my right hand! It was quite an adventure and my work that came from that time was very impressionistic. I really enjoyed what I created.

  That being said, because it has been about a decade since I last painted with my right hand and since it is my non-dominant hand, I had no idea what I would be up against this time. Talk about being out of practice!

    I was pleasantly surprised at how well it came back to me. Part of this was some of the planning I did ahead of time. I chose a subject and medium that was very familiar to me. I did not want to add any sort of frustration by trying to paint something new with a material that I was not used to. The main challenge was to keep my left hand at bay. It's such a habit to just pick up an instrument with my dominant hand and get to work. Once I got going with things, I had to keep reminding myself to use my right hand.

  Another challenge was keeping a steady hand. My right hand is just not used to having to do the precise lines that my left is. I knew that this would be a painterly endeavor. I had no expectations of being perfect in my line work, but it was still interesting when I was trying to put a line in one place, and it would end up just slightly next to where I was aiming. There was a plus side to not being able to be precise though. There were a lot of fine lines in the branches of the trees I was painting, however, being that trees are organic, the enviable wiggle that came from using my right hand added to the shape of the branches in a positive more natural looking way. 

  Is this piece a masterpiece? Probably not, but I am very happy with the results none the less. It was a great way to loosen up, be painterly and to get creative. It gave me the chance to use a different part of my brain while creating and it took the expectations of perfection out of the equation and left room to just have fun! I also learned something about myself. Or rather, I was reminded of something that I knew about myself all along. I will always make art, it's who I am. The thought of not being able to use my dominant arm for any reason was really scary for me but I know that I will always find a way.

   To see how this piece came together, watch the video below! Also, to see the other right-hand paintings I have done in the past go here.