Honestly, I start with a cup of strong coffee!

To me, getting started is the biggest challenge of all. That is the bottom line for each day and for each creation. When I begin anything new, whether it is a new painting or a new way of applying paint to a canvas, I clear away anything that might be a distraction; no phone calls, no music, no conversations. I make sure I am surrounded with all sizes and shapes of canvasses in case my idea takes a twist in any direction. Usually when I make a start, I will have chosen a subject, or have been commissioned a work, but it may be that I am playing with a new idea, something I want to experiment with. Commissions and supplying other galleries always comes first, before experimentation.

Once I have decided on the work, I sit back and let my mind wander over what I have produced in the past, what I have just been observing and what I think I want to create. When I come up with a clear vision, I start to paint. And I let the paint do the work. It is as though my subconscious mind takes over and my knowledge of my medium and the practice I have had over a long period of time joins with that part of my mind, to produce the work on the canvas. I have learned to go with it, to allow the process a life of its own.

With starting anything new there is a barrier of fear between me and the thing I want to accomplish. It is amazing what a white canvas can do to your level of fear. By paying attention to fear yet focusing on the task and the paint, the hurdle of fear is overcome. At one point I painted only small canvasses and was terrified to produce anything large. Then, I was commissioned a dozen large pieces, I had my cup of coffee and began. When I was finished, I sat back and was pleased with my work, realizing that the whole point of painting is really in creating beautiful images. When I look back on that particular incident I know I was so slow, I probably earned five dollars and hour, but the experience was worth every minute.

Des Spencer