Favourite Mistakes

Every February, I try to take a look through the studio to see what has been buried or left behind and forgotten about. It always surprises me that I can find enough to have a sale. This year I found something special. In a container that housed some paper I was looking for, was a number of my Butcher Paper paintings. I'm so glad I found these because it brought back an important lesson to me. The reason I started painting on butcher paper was because my sister was working in a deli department of a grocery store and asked me if I could use some rolls of meat wrap. Because it was free, I said "Of course, I can use that!" I attempted a few paintings and the results were not very good. I crumpled them up and threw them away. A few days later, I looked in the trash can and took out one of the paintings and uncrumpled it. It was still a bad painting, but I had discovered that crumpling the paper gave it a pretty unique effect. I tried painting on the meat wrap again with much better results. And the lesson that came to mind was that if I hadn't have made a mistake, I would never have crumpled the paper up and I would never have discovered the unique process that make the paintings better. Sometime's what seems like a waste of time, is just a different route. I have to give myself permission to take chances and make mistakes, to get lost on unfamiliar roads.

So, for a limited time this February, these Butcher Paper paintings from 14 years ago will be on sale with other assorted finds from the vault in the basement of the studio. Come on in and have a peak and tell me about some wonderful mistakes.