Fear of Failure

When I tell people that I use stencilling in my work people tend to ask how and why. Firstly why? I love all the little shapes - reminiscent of mosaics and lead lighting - all put together by the eye to create form. And secondly How? Well stencilling is only PART of my process - it’s about the beginning to midway stage. I start with an image and make up my stencil on paper - painstakingly cutting them out over a few days. Then I use Liquitex Professional Spray Paints to paint each stencil. As you can see in the photograph it’s not an exact science for me. I go with the “it’s close enough” philosophy and seek accidents and mistakes in my stencils to generate interest in colour, shape, texture and tone. I then overlay my stencilling with lots of detailed brushwork. Sometimes I even obliterate some stencilled sections and bring it back into the background.
I have learned over the years not to fear failure, rather I prefer to flirt with mistakes and unexpected results. It may create some frustration, but this is true art making.