Here we are…three plus months into dealing with a pandemic…along with a confrontation about the realities of how the Black community is treated…throw in economic mayhem…and personally for me, a case of shingles…and you can well understand why many people are feeling anxious and overwhelmed these days.

I’ve always taken the approach to addressing problems and difficulties one step at a time…methodically thinking what needs to be done first, identifying what comes next…clicking off the tasks and deadlines until completion is at hand. Clearly the problems we are facing cannot be so neatly compartmentalized, and it will take all of us working together for success. Many of my friends are feeling anxious…they believe that there is too much to deal with and they don’t know what difference they can make nor where to begin. I totally sympathize with them…I feel the same…but I decided to take matters into my own hands…literally.

One of the artists I follow on Instagram is Rebecca Sower. She is a mixed media artist, combining collage with paint and pen drawings. She recently had a post where she laid out a big sheet of newsprint and just threw paint on it to create her one of kind collage papers.

I’m the first to admit that I am not a painter…but the urge to do something…anything physical that would burn off some nervous energy, divert my attention away from the world situation for an hour or two and not require a thought about the consequences of my actions was enticing…I gathered up supplies…and let it rip!

It was cathartic beyond belief…mostly for the fact that I didn’t judge what I was doing…I just played. It’s not a complicated process…and supplies are cheap…you have these things at home…you can do this too.

First, I pulled out some packing paper…since everyone is ordering online, there is plenty of free paper to be had in every delivered box…just smooth it out and you are ready to go. I keep these smoothed out sheets rolled up in a corner of my work studio, at the ready.

Next, I rounded up some paint…

None of this is fancy art paint…its combination of those small paint samples from Lowe’s or craft paint that I find at Goodwill. At Lowe’s there is a shelf in the paint department with mis-tinted paint…it’s reduced in price significantly…there’s often the small paint sample pints there…its a latex acrylic paint…perfect for this kind of project. Almost any hardware store that sells paint will have a mis-tint area - people always change their mind about whatever color they have chosen and then return it to the store…believe me…I worked in the paint department at Lowe’s for years.

Next, find some tools to paint with…fingers are fine…but tools will give you some variety in textures.

I use my crappiest brushes for this kind of paint play…the broken down bristles or the disintegrating foam of old brushes gives a little more character than a fine stroke of a new brush. The plastic needlepoint canvas gave a great overall pattern - I painted one side and then put it down on the paper and used my brayer on the backside to smooth out the paint. Wooden chopsticks (a ubiquitous item in every household!) are not only useful in stirring up paint but can be used to “draw” with paint on the paper. The end of a plastic drinking straw or wooden dowel and the end of a D size battery both make fine circle designs. The square plastic tool has a different notched edge pattern on each side - perfect for scratching a design into wet paint. My favorite tool is my old sewing tracing wheel for the dotted lines it produces. I find it helps to put a small puddle of paint on a plastic lid and then roll the tracing wheel through the paint to load it up and then roll it across the paper. Another favorite is the end of a toilet paper roll dipped into paint - makes the best circles.

The black plastic questionable tool was from some long forgotten appliance… I liked the round nubs on the end and thought it would be fun to use. Look around your house…you’ll be surprised at what you can find…how about a piece of bubble wrap…or an old comb…or some buttons…even the end of the cork you pulled out of last night’s wine bottle…really, anything goes!

Here’s closeup of the two “paintings” I did…

I’m not very keen on the red design…I got a little carried away and its a little muddy but when I cut it up into small pieces, especially into strips for one of my strip collages, it will be awesome.

The gray design with the spots of green I’m happy with…so much so that I think I’m going to take a photo of it, clean it up in Photoshop and then use Spoonflower to print up a fabric swatch using this design for another creative idea swirling inside my head.

At the end of the day, I felt better…true, I didn’t tackle any world problems but I got off my butt and did something to get out of a funk, clear my head and proceed through the entanglement of our new normal with a fresh spirit.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect…it just has to be progress.