Color the Emotion

Pick a few colors and create without stiffness.

Intuitive Still Life with Gelli Plates and Golden Open Acrylics

Intuitive still life painting using both Gelli plate and brushes. By Paivi Eerola from Peony and Parakeet.

Here’s my latest painting, an intuitive still life with tulips. Last week, I had a short visit to an art supply store in Helsinki. I was surprised that they had a collection of Gelli plates for sale. When I got my first one several years ago, it wasn’t as accessible. I had to contact a shop in Italy which was the only retailer in Europe at that time. It’s great that Gelli plates have become more widely known. I have noticed that on my blog too. Month after month, the post “Self-Expression with Gelli Plate” is at top ten!

So I couldn’t help myself at the art supply store and bought another Gelli plate. My old one is 8 by 10 inches. The new one is a smaller, only 3 by 5 inches. It’s easier to handle and clean but mono printing with the big one is quicker.

Could Gelli Plates Be The Cure for Blank Paper Syndrome?

I wanted to have an experiment using both of the plates. Without any pre-planned idea about what my painting should represent, I would get over the blank paper syndrome using random monoprints. Then I would move on using brushes and working more intentionally. As always with mono printing, I used Golden Open Acrylics as paints because they don’t dry as quickly as regular ones.

Here’s my painting after I had some fun with Gelli plates.

Intuitive still life painting in progress. By Paivi Eerola from Peony and Parakeet.

And here’s the finished piece.

Intuitive still life painting using both Gelli plate and brushes. By Paivi Eerola from Peony and Parakeet.

Intuitive Equals Subconscious!

After I had finished painting, I realized that it’s a combination of recent events: I got a lot of tulips for my birthday, made a strawberry birthday cake and enjoyed the winter sun with Stella.

Photo collage from February: tulips, birthday cake, winter sun.

Intuitive Still Life – Watch the Video!

Here’s a video about creating the intuitive still life. There you can see how adventurous my process was.

Enjoy creating more intuitively: Sign up for Inspirational Drawing 2.0!

30 thoughts on “Intuitive Still Life with Gelli Plates and Golden Open Acrylics

  1. I honestly don’t know how you do it. It turned out beautiful after starting out just a bunch of paint on the paper. Thank you so much for sharing your art.

      1. Your phrase “skill of seeing” as related to creating intuitively really resonated with me. Often I just can’t ‘see’ what I can do with something and have to leave it and then come back. Maybe change the orientation of the page, and then – I see.

  2. This is amazing! I think you have found your media! The combination of your painting skills and the lose creativity of the gelli plate are a winning combination Pavi. This is my favorite video so far!

  3. Another great video — love your quote above – the skill of seeing – I just don’t see, I am trying so hard to do more loose work but I seem to be unable to use my imagination – do we loose our imagination as we get older? I love what you’ve done with this piece – it speaks to me.

    1. Hi, Glo, thank you! Based on the progress I have seen in my students, I don’t think we loose our imagination within the time! Check out my class Inspirational Drawing 2.0!

  4. You are so amazing Paivi. I love to watch you work and am always astounded at the outcome. Thank You.

  5. Do u know the expression – making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear? The piece turned into a beautiful silk purse!

  6. Hi Paivi. This is the first time I’ve written, from Ohio. I just started watching your videos and am so intrigued with the beautiful results. What I don’t know is how you decide when you’re done… each stage is so pretty. I tend to overwork stuff, when I liked a previous stage better. Do you ever regret not stopping?

  7. I’m always impressed to see how your “unplanned” beginnings have such a wonderful result.
    When I start random colours/forms it always becomes a MESS !!

    But: thanks for the video and I’ll try again and again.

  8. Paivi, I would buy a download of this video! I have the large Gelli, and will order a small one seeing this. You are amazing! I want to watch it again and again. 🙂

Comments are closed.

Scroll to top