Fast Art and Slow Art
—It’s All Good!
Today’s post features two pieces of art I finished recently along with a comparison of their vastly different art processes and timelines.
To clarify, by fast art and slow art I don’t mean art I’ve created in which I was drawing & painting faster or slower than my normal Paula pace; it refers to the timelines for each piece of art. In the case of my fast art, my timeline was very condensed: I started and finished my art in less than two hours, all on the same day. For the slow art…let’s just say it took a little bit longer 😉 (more on that below!).
Fast Art
Last week I met up with my local Art Peeps for plein air sketching at Tohono Chul, on a beautiful sunny day in the 70s (finally!—after 5 months of hot weather that kiboshed our plans for meeting in person).
I really enjoy the process of going somewhere (usually outside) with the intent to create art, but with no predetermined idea of what I’m going to create…then discovering a subject that sparks my interest and figuring out my composition, dimensions, colors, and text, as well as how to execute my idea simply, all within an hour or two (plus a little more time at home).
In Tohono Chul’s Ethnobotanical Garden I was captivated by a Deer Dancer Gourd growing up and over an 8’ tall metal trellis/archway. The leaves were a good 8” in size and some of the gourds were hanging above my head, so when I walked under the archway I could reach up to touch the gourds to see how heavy they were (heavy!). I was intrigued and had found my subject!
Here’s what I got done art-wise in my hour-plus sketching in the Ethnobotanical Garden: an initial pencil sketch, waterproof pen, and some watercolor.
I know a number of you are interested in art toys tools so I’ll mention that my teeny tiny watercolor palette (with only 6 colors) and 2 oz. Nalgene leakproof jar (containing water for dipping my brushes) continue to work really well for me when I create art while I’m out and about.
I then finished the art at home in less than an hour, making the colors a bit more vibrant and painting the background light blue (which for some reason my scanner didn’t pick up too well, but trust me, there’s a blue background there).
I wasn’t familiar with Deer Dancer Gourds, but with some research I learned that though they’re generally too bitter to be eaten, the gourds are used to make rattles for Mayo deer dance ceremonies. The Mayo people live in Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico and are related to the Yaqui people of Southern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.
Slow Art
Now on to my art that took a little bit longer! You may remember my Tucson Yard Journal series, which I started with the month of June. I recently completed #9 in the series—February—but worked on it over a very extended timeline. If you’ve ever started a project, only to complete it months or years later (we probably all have, right?) then you’re not alone!
Here’s my timeline for Tucson Yard Journal ~ February:
June 2024: I chose the subjects for, and determined the composition of, the art.
July-August 2024: I set the art aside to focus on other art priorities like my Perpetual Journal and publishing this blog.
September-October 2024: I sketched my layout in pencil, then in waterproof pen, and used blue painter’s tape to mask off the edges of the panels and the caption boxes.
November 2024-June 2025: I set the art aside due to other art & life priorities.
July 2025: I was motivated to continue and finish this art, so I added the watercolor.
August 2025: I removed the painter’s tape and added pen around the panels and caption boxes.
September 2025: I set the art aside due to other art & life priorities.
October 2025: I finished Tucson Yard Journal ~ February by adding the title, text and my signature.
So in a mere 17 months—voila!—I finished my masterpiece! 😁 And that timeline is perfectly okay!
An Important Public Service Announcement
If you live somewhere holding elections next Tuesday November 4, I hope you have a plan to vote, if you haven’t already! Your vote is very important—especially now—and every vote counts!
Hubby & I don’t have an election next week where we live, but we did recently send 150 handwritten postcards to voters in other states (who have important elections including governor & Supreme Court justices) encouraging these voters to vote.
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“Nothing makes me so happy as to observe nature and to paint what I see.”
- Henry Rousseau
Thank you for being here! I appreciate it. See you next week!
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