Trusting the Process - What I Know is True

I changed very little this time. At this point in the process, one cannot work too quickly. One cannot force it. All I did was add paint to the gessoed areas from last session. I added Viridian and Alizarin/Yellow Ochre to the vertical strip and a Magenta/Yellow Ochre/Alizarin to the bottom right spot. So far, I feel that the painting may be going in a better direction. I look at it and still ponder if it will be transported into a work that I really love.

I promised that I would write about what it means to "trust the process".  For me, it means to go back to what I know is true. Review the teachings that I follow every time I stand before my canvas or sketch pad. It has to do with how I mix my color, and the way that I place certain colors in a composition, varying as much as possible while keeping it harmonious. Occasionally it means keeping some areas quiet, even though it would look so attractive to show off a couple of colors that look smashing together. So many times I just don't know, and it is hard to see the next step. From time to time I even build the composition intuitively as I go and feel quite insecure until,  once again I ask myself these questions:

What am I trying to say? How can I best show that concept? What do I already know to be true? These questions offer the road to my authenticity and the final outcome of a painting.