© Carolee Clark
“I Need a Break” 
sold
by Carolee Clark
9″ x 12″
acrylic on wrapped canvas
One of the reasons that I don’t like painting in a group is that my paintings go through a really ugly stage. I certainly don’t want someone to come along at that point in the painting and make a snap judgement about the quality, the process or the painting. Sometimes at that “ugly stage” I begin to doubt myself that the painting will work at all, and don’t want the confirmation that it is indeed, ugly. However, it is some of those paintings that I end up liking the most. Like this one. Keep plugging along at it!
Carolee S. Clark, Painter 
Today is my lucky day: I am finding several painters who have similar experiences and/or processes as mine – the ones I have judged all my life… Why did it take so long to find all of you?! Where were you all these years?!… LOL!… Well, never mind that. I am very GRATEFUL for your sharings Carolle AND your beautiful art/colors! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I do not like to show my work in progress, and after making that mistake a few times, I am now very careful not to do so anymore – even when friends insist! One exception for me with the “not-liking the group thing”: A visual studies class – which was really a painting class – I took at UCB with Joe Slusky. He had us work as we wanted, but FAST: no time to think and/or compare ourselves. Our whole body was in movement. It was amazingly liberating and invigorating for me, because I could feel the energy of everyone going for it, having fun! And when time was up, we all had big smiles on our faces. LOL!
Carolee, it’s nice to hear from a working artist that you don’t like onlookers either. As an infrequent painter, I really don’t like non-artists to see what I’m doing. They don’t understand that “magic” can happen as we work. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It helps to know that an experienced painter like yourself has these same feelings.
Christi, thanks for your comments. Apparently this is not restricted to the visual arts. A writer friend of mine read this post and emailed me to say that he doesn’t like to share his rough work for similar reasons! Cheers!