The Creative Life - Barbara Trovillo

"Only paint on the days you eat." Mary Gilkerson Bentz   Very good advice from a generous soul who is sorely missed.    Lots of people paint for fun. There was a time when I painted for fun.    Please, don't misunderstand. It is a joy to paint. I paint every day, and, often, it is fun.    Other times, it is "going to work" or akin to "practicing the piano". I go to the studio each day to practice my craft.   It is invigorating to begin a new painting! Like any other craft, there is prep involved: choosing a subject, taking photos, or setting up on site, Toning the board, [...]

    This weekend, at a "Meet the Artist" event, I was asked if I paint from photos. The technical answer is no, although photos can be involved.       I paint what I see. My portfolio is akin to a visual diary. Generally speaking, what is catching my eye wherever I am, is what ends up on the canvas. Most recently, I have been watching the goldfinch devour the seeds off the volunteer sunflowers that sprang up in my raised bed! This delightful experience has inspired 3 very different paintings so far.   Every Painting begins at a real life moment when I witness something that [...]

Artists are often asked what is their inspiration. The answer varies from one Creator to the next. I have always had a difficult time answering that question. Much of what I do is intuitive. I follow the crumbs on the path, so to speak. I have never spent much time thinking about it.    I can now say it is the Wonder of the Natural World that drives me. I live in a fairly remote place in the mountains of central Virginia, surrounded by woods, fields, and wildlife. Every day, I am discovering small wonders. My sister is also a nature lover. Yesterday, I [...]

Ha ha.....quite a build up, eh? Well, that's how I felt this week.   My New's Years Eve resolution was to arrange at least 6 places to show my work this year.   Last year was a wash. We were caught up in fixing and selling a rental property, then dealing with damage from surprise flooding here on Pleasant Hill where we live. I continued with my daily painting practice but could not manage arranging ways to get the work out into the public view.   I am determined to not let that happen again this year!   I am making good progress turning that resolve into reality. So [...]

  A New Year! I have been thinking about January and what it means.   Many of us begin the year by making resolutions. Lists of things we would like to change about ourselves or goals we would like to accomplish.   "Out with the Old, In with the New!", right? Not so fast....   January is named after Janus, the Roman god of transition. He is depicted with two heads, one looking back to what has been, the other looking forward to what will be. Sometimes we do indeed hit a transition point in our lives where we say, No More! Never Again. We turn from something [...]

Peaches in Bloom     I am currently possessed by an obsession.     Each year, I visit the orchard near me and make a painting of the trees when the blossoms have opened. The area in which this orchard is located is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. It is truly one of the most beautiful places you will ever see! The trees are so gracefully formed, their branches elegantly posed. There is an elusive beauty that I continue to try to capture.                                                [...]

The Rule of Thirds was first written down in John Thomas Smith's illustrated book, Remarks on Rural Scenery published in 1797.   The rule of thirds is a tool used in design and composition. It says that if you divide any canvas or paper into thirds, vertically and horizontally, and then place the key elements of your image along these lines or at the junctions of them, the composition will be more interesting and dynamic.    I am intrigued by this and also the "Golden Ratio" which I cannot even begin to talk about! (I will give it a shot when I understand it better, though! [...]

Impostor Syndrome:  Loosely defined as "Doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud".   Do you struggle with Impostor Syndrome?    Many of us do.   Regrettably, I didn't go to art school. In fact, I didn't begin to paint until my late thirties. My Mother was a gifted artist and schizophrenic. She suffered greatly from her mental illness. I think, had she not had this disability, she would have gone far with her talent. She was young when I was born and very insecure. Our home was not a nurturing environment. We were fed, clothed, and ought to be grateful for it! It was the fifties [...]