Why do I paint?

To feel alive.

“Autumn Leaves”, 24x36, oil on canvas, 2015 by Tabby Ivy,  Bugge Collection

Why I Paint 

by Tabby Ivy

“Maybe the desire to make something beautiful
is the piece of God that is inside each of us.” —Mary Oliver

So, why do I paint? (And why did I only start painting at the age of 52?)
(In no particular order)

To give voice to that 15 y/o who lost her dad
To give voice to that 17 y/o oh so young Mom
Because I have 75 years under my belt and I have something to say
To feel
To depict my place in the world
To try, and fail and learn from it

To get myself out of the way and see what breaks through the barriers of consciousness and critical thinking
To embrace spontaneity, chance and serendipity
To share feelings never expressed or suppressed
To escape the mundane demands of daily life
Because I have more to give

To see what is possible
To be amazed
To share that which only I can offer 
To feel alive
To dig deep into places within that have been hidden/protected/avoided/forgotten/buried/ignored/left behind/missed/loved/hated/feared

To create
To give what only I can give and say what only I can say
To be bold
To be fearless
To be vulnerable
To be generous 
To experiment

To convey not depict
Per art critic Jerry Saltz  - “you draw/paint to see what you think.” I paint to see what I think. I like that.
Because only I can make this

To say what I want to say
To get out of my own way
To be unfiltered/spontaneous/intuitive
Because every moment in life has led to this one brushstroke. And in the blink of an eye it will be gone and another manifested…and then gone…and then another. It’s magical!

Because it's a safe place for feeling
To be seen - to expose that part of me that has been held close
To get to know myself
To evoke something in another person that allows them to see/feel or connect with something within or of themselves

To be curious
To ask, “what if?” and see what happens
To convey my experience of a place/landscape/moment
To see what is possible

To push myself
To get out of my comfort zone
To challenge myself
To take a chance and see what happens

To question even when there are no answers
To feel the joy and wonder of the mysterious

So, why do I paint? 
Well, why not?

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Tabby Ivy is a painter living in Bigfork, Montana. Painting came late in her life. Her studio is a converted golf cart garage which is a sanctuary for working and reading her extensive collection of art books. Learn more at http://tabbyivy.com/

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