What Is Process Painting?

What Is Process Painting?

“Process painting” is making the experience of painting more important than the outcome. The goal of process painting is the creative act itself, without concern for talent, skill or accomplishment. Process painting allows you to transcend the rules and go beyond who you thought you were, taking you on a journey of inspiration, insight, growth and change.

Why Paint for Process?

Here are some gifts of painting for the process rather than the product:

The exhilaration of creating without the pressure to perform, produce or succeed.

The goal is free-expression. Process painting emphasizes the creative process rather than technique or expertise. No prior art experience is necessary. We all start from beginner’s mind.

The personal power that grows from being present in the moment.

Process painting offers an exceptional opportunity to inhabit the present moment. It’s an engaged spirituality — a practice of equanimity, presence, and learning to stay present in the face of whatever arises.

The beauty of letting yourself be led rather than grasping for control or attempting to plan.

Through listening to your intuition — the color that calls to you; the placement of the brush on the paper; the shape, the form, the image that wants to be born — process painting invites you to unleash your inner wildness.

The rewards that come from experiencing doubt and carrying on anyway.

One of the myths of art is that you have to feel inspired, have endless ideas or feel confident in order to create. But not-knowing allows innocence. Accepting imperfection yields compassion. Risking vulnerability opens the door to breakthrough and awe.

The healing that comes from true completion.

Completion is one of the greatest mysteries in process painting. It can be a moment of astonishing surprise and release. Completion is an inner state of freedom that you experience when you carry a painting through to its natural end.

The development of an awakened stance towards life that is centered yet expansive.

The meeting with yourself that occurs in the painting process is meditation in action — where the circumstances of your life are seen as potentials rather than problems.

Join Us!

We’d love to share the experience of process painting with you. We invite you to take a moment to browse our upcoming painting workshops and online programs. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Many thanks to our friend Jan Lisonbee for inspiring this page with her words!