A Fun Collaborative Project

One of the most unique painting projects I have done is one I completed recently in my “Convergence” art show group. We created these paintings for our show at the Gallery on the Pali, as a team.  There are 4 of us in the show, Suzanne Barnes, Cynthia Schubert, Dawn Yoshimura, and me.  Each artist was given 15 minutes with a blank canvas.  Then we passed the painting clockwise to the second painter who continued the painting for 15 more minutes, then we each passed the painting again to a third person for the next 15 minutes, then the fourth artist took over for 15 minutes, and when the painting was given back to the initiator of the painting, the results were wonderful!  We got to put any finishing touches on our painting that we wanted to add (no time limit on this last step). They turned out so well that we used them on our postcard as the symbol of what our show is all about:

Convergence Invitation

Here is a series of progress photos showing how each piece evolved:

MARS MOONRISE
SUZANNE BARNES 

Convergence Suzanne
(Stages painted by Suzanne, Wendy, Dawn, Cynthia, Suzanne)

RED MOUNTAIN
DAWN YOSHIMURA

Convergence Dawn
(Stages painted by Dawn, Cynthia, Suzanne, Wendy, Dawn)

HOCUS LOTUS
CYNTHIA SCHUBERT 

Convergence Cynthia
(Stages painted by Cynthia, Suzanne, Wendy, Dawn, Cynthia)

THE DREAMING HUT
WENDY ROBERTS 

Convergence Wendy
(Stages painted by Wendy, Dawn, Cynthia, Suzanne, Wendy)

This experience of painting as a group was about letting go and allowing the piece turn out in a way that we could each only partially control.  It encouraged us to respond to a series of paintings in various states of completion. The painting whispers what it wants you to do if you listen closely.  Sometimes I painted a lot on the works in front of me, and other times, I needed to use a soft touch because most elements of the painting were working already.  If you are an artist, grab a group of artist friends and try this. It is a really interesting exercise!