Painting from the inside out

"Painting from the Inside Out" is best described as a philosophy of art developed by Stuart Cubley and Michelle Cassou. Amazon has their books. My friend Maggi teaches classes based on their ideas. I don't know if there are any scheduled now (the August class is booked) but if you live in the Triangle area keep checking back on her website or email from there for info.

From "Life, Paint and Passion" by Cubley and Cassou:

To paint is to pass through the doorway from the known to the unknown. Let yourself be lost, wander in new lands, dare to be your unusual self. Painting is a killer of concepts, projections and prejudices. It will break the masks of learned behaviour and reveal the inexplicable.

The idea is to let the inner self go and accept what it decides to do without interpretation or judgement. It is very freeing. I took Maggi's one-day class and the result is below. Not one of my better paintings ;-) but as I look at it there is something I feel needs exploring. And some day I will....

Oh and that's me in the top left corner with all the blood draining out. Very pleasant.