Recently I was a participant in a discussion about “What to do if you just can’t get started”.

There are many reasons all of us can feel unable to ‘get going’. They range from simple tiredness to major suffering. But most of us have experienced a feeling of disinterest or lack of energy around our work/life.

Occasionally this has happened to me, and I have found that making a real change in my painting technique and materials can help propel me forward.

One way I countered this was to experiment with a new medium - Alcohol Inks.

These are acid-free, intensely colored, alcohol-based dyes. These liquids must be applied on non-porous surfaces, not the traditional, prepared canvas that I’m used to. I’m using Yupo paper, which is a tree-free, recyclable, synthetic paper that has a flexible, plastic-like feel.

My first experiments were very messy. But they freed me from the incessant need for perfection (I try to remember a mantra: “Perfectionism is the Voice of the Oppressor”).

Here are my initial snapshots of a few of these early alcohol ink works. I love the jewel tones and their intensity.

The Yupo paper created size constraints: I finally chose sheets of 11x14 and 20x25 inches, which are much smaller than the typical 48x48(or 60)-inch canvasses for my oil paintings. First paintings continued my Trees theme for this new medium. Then it grew to seeds and finally forests. Finally I found we could buy Yupo paper 30 inches wide, and I increased the size of some paintings to 24x36.

What do you think and feel when you see them? I’d love to hear about your reactions.