[originally published via newsletter on 7/29/2025]
“I want RRRIIICCCCH Surfaces!” Richard Calabro commanded our college art class with twinkling bright eyes and a guttural drawl.
Our professor had us spend DAYS layering paint upon paint, oil pastel upon conte crayon, charcoal and water too. Household stuffs were welcome too – why not lay down a layer of cleaner that makes the surface separate? Scratching, re-layering color, then rubbing, maybe erasing, only to lay another coat on top of what was underneath.
We were tasked to create a worthy background before we even thought about rendering a subject. You know, the thing our art was supposed to be about like “cats holding toasters.”
And guess what?
It worked.
By the time we’d answered the call for a rich background, each surface possessed so much character it could have walked into a gallery and introduced itself as a piece.
I wonder if our personal backgrounds are just as foundational? All our eras, processes, mistakes, separations, scratches, and layers. What if we accepted all of this as part of the work of our lives, and carried on from there? Rendering a new subject atop a wealth of layered life experiences?
I don’t know about you, but when I look back, I feel better when I gaze with wonder instead of judgement. And it helps me feel ready to start the next thing, even if it’s brand new.
Questions for a hot day:
How could your background be foundational to making a masterpiece? Authentic only to you? If your background has character, what kind of character is it? Which ‘failures’ yielded a layer of beauty when incorporated into next steps? What new subject are you ready to render?
With gratitude,
Elizabeth
