It Takes Courage...Oh, the Irony!

"It Takes Courage"
9"x12"

I created this painting this afternoon, trying to make up for a piece I made yesterday that felt like a dismal failure.  I knew I liked my idea, but I was unhappy with yesterday's results, so I bit the bullet and started all over again from scratch. 

My building blocks for this painting were:
1. this favorite quotation from e.e.cummings that I have saved in one of my many notebooks:  "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are,"
2. a butterfly stamp that inspired the ones on my painting,
3. the work of Cindy Wunsch, published in Cloth Paper Scissors in their November/December 2011 issue.  I like her mixed-media background, large undetailed central image, and stamped poetry across the page.

Here is the piece I did yesterday: 

I liked the background, and a few of the small butterflies came out nicely, but the shapes and markings on the large butterflies looked much too artificial and forced.  I am really working on painting and drawing with a lighter hand, and it's not easy for me!

I call "courage" ironic in my blog post title, because I was so sure that I would mess up this second effort, that I took a photo of my background before I began, just in case I completely ruined my painting and had nothing good to show for it!

But I guess I should give myself some "courage credits" for digging in and trying again.  I am much happier with my results this time!  The stylized butterflies look more "clean," simple, and purposeful to me than in yesterday's piece.

Have you grown up and become who you really are?  I like to think I'm on my way...