ArtTraveler reveals secret to exorcising possessed paintings

As a novice painter, exploring the unknown and learning from the masters and those with many years more experience among the living, I found myself a year ago again revisiting a painting in progress I had grown to detest and fear, started in 2005.

The fear is fear of failure, since I had repeated this ego-destructive gesture with each new pallette and series of futile, ill-conceived brush strokes on this  portrait of some kind of Balkan warlord or genocidal criminal.

I'm sure I started it on a very bad day when anger and depression merged to give life to this monster.

At least five times I struggled with it. Nothing worked. I hated it more and more. So, finally, while chipping away at what would be an alabaster cat mask with human lips at Moira Schepel's weekly sculpting class at her villa and studio, I approached professional painter and sculptor  David Graves.

"Burn it," he said without flinching as he whittled away at a male torso in alabaster. David had obviously been there and done that.

I did but I wanted to make something of it, a celebration, a kind of purging of evil spirits and record of having made a new beginning by destroying the malignant painting.

A proper BBQing immediately flashed into view. I share some of my fotos of this exorcism.

 

Rock on and practice peace. Also, check out my funky videos: http://bit.ly/h1vruw

Stefan, the ArtTraveler(TM)