january- negative space

Today I feel the importance of negative space. Negative space as an art term is simply the areas that give the eye a rest or lack detail. Negative space is the space in between the action. It’s something I often forget about, but intuitively create in my paintings. In life outside of painting, it is something I crave. It’s where my inspiration lives.

As I am leaving to unplug from life for a week, I am giving thanks to negative space. I am grateful for the awareness that I need this time. I am grateful that I allow myself this time. I am grateful that I can create a contrast to the everyday action in my life. I can support the action of my life with spaces of nothing.
Negative space is what gives a painting and my life balance. Without it, there would be a chaotic feeling. Supporting the focus, negative space allows us to concentrate on what is important. It creates a background for colors to dance on, or textures to arise from, or light to bounce on. When I breathe I often pause in between breaths to check myself, or just remember the importance of a pause. When I paint I sometimes make myself stop just to remember what I am doing. I can get so caught up in action that I forget the importance of stillness. Meditation has changed my life for this reason. To consciously do nothing has been a great challenge for me. To justify doing nothing or feel worthy of doing nothing has been a life saving personal evolution. I remember feeling guilty about wanting a vacation, needing alone time or even closing my door for ten minutes to sit quietly. At this point in my life, I know it is necessary as part of the composition of my life’s masterpiece.

Today I create with negative space as my focus, just to play with it. I have become more and more comfortable with leaving spaces of nothing in my paintings, as I have become more and more comfortable with leaving spaces of nothing in my life. In nothing, there is potentially everything, because it’s where imagination can be cultivated. Seeds of inspiration sprout in the void. Most importantly, in nothing, I remember that ultimately I am no-thing too… and this masterpiece that I call life is the most mysteriously beautiful composition I have yet to create.

Creatively, Britten