Ch, ch, ch changes...

I finally painted my first abstract yesterday in weeks.I used the same technique- laying some paints on the canvas, swishing them around a bit with a brush, and adding texture & further blending the paint with my fingers. As usual, I had no preconceived notion of what I was about to paint. But something was different. Very abruptly, a change had transpired in my work. And it freaked me out a bit. There was more differentiation in shades of colors. And it was more static, which is very unusual for my work. Just about every piece I've done has had a lot of movement and energy in it. This piece is all calm.

So what's going on? I've been practicing portraiture, a huge departure from painting abstracts. I study everyone's faces now in great detail, particularly looking at how lighting casts shadows on their foreheads, their eyes, their cheekbones. I don't even like working with skin colors (depressing compared to the colors I can use in my abstracts). Portraiture is extremely difficult! I keep asking myself why I am doing it. I still don't have an answer, but I know it's something I have to do. And it's obviously affecting my abstracts. All I can figure out is that I am training myself, forcing myself out of my comfort zone. And changing. Enjoy the video.