Palette Knife Exercise

Letting Go of Control with a Palette Knife Exercise.

This was a small, wild palette knife painting — not my normal way of working, but a fun and freeing adventure.

We taped off a page into small sections, about 2 x 3 inches each. Using a palette knife with oil paint, we dragged paint across, through, up, and down the surface. No planning. No fixing. No control.

And that was the point.

Tiny oil paintings with grays, pinks, gold, yellow and orange by Laurie Pace

©Laurie Pace Graphics One Design 2026

Texture Oil Exercise

It was surprisingly freeing because the brain simply cannot take over in this kind of exercise. There is no time to think — only to respond. I can’t imagine doing this on a large canvas and feeling as loose as I did working small.

This is also a wonderful exercise in color choice. Mine weren’t the best, but for a first attempt, I now understand the importance of pre-thinking color relationships before beginning.

What does this teach us in the studio?

Not to try to control everything.

I have a lot pulsing through my thoughts right now as I prepare to begin several paintings for a client. Sometimes commission work flows easily — and sometimes it doesn’t. When it tightens up, stepping away and letting go can be essential.

I’ll share more as I move through the first painting — but not until then.

Let go of tightness.

Close your eyes.

Breathe deeply.

Every time we fail, we gain something — knowledge, experience, and permission to keep going.

Shop other Available Artwork.

Follow the Spirit of the Paint... with Laurie Pace

Shop for Paintings | Shop for Prints and Gifts | Commissioned Paintings

INSTAGRAM : @LauriePaceBlog Facebook

Laurie is an international artist, her paintings are collected in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, DuBai, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, St Thomas, Romania, Greece, Croatia, and Ecuador.

Comments

Mixed Media Collage Horse Paintings by Texas Artist Laurie Justus Pace

© G.O.D. Laurie Justus Pace Graphics One Design 2013 Horse Collage Fall 2013 12 x 18 inches Mixed Media on Canvas. This was an intentional paint to imitate one of the 100 ponies I did in 2012. That poor little 8 x 10 pony was loved by a company to do very large prints and it was not here for me to even use to scan... so I created something with the same heart, a kindred spirit. The underlays are pages from a western book and then torn papers of different varieties were added along with stains of paint and purposeful areas of paint. This would not be a painting I would do today, but the goal was to capture the spirit of the first painting. This is available for purchase. Please click here to see pricing and painting. Laurie Pace A Texas Artist Pace Studio Graphics One Design My Blog My Website Gicl...

EXHAUSTED Woman Figurative Oil Painting, Art Deco Painting, Art Abstract Painting, Women in Kitchen Oil Painting by Texas Artist Laurie Pace

'Exhausted' 24 x 24 Oil on Canvas Contact me to purchase by check or paypal. Laurie © Laurie Justus Pace Graphics One Design 2010 My Website Thinking ahead to the Thanksgiving celebration next week, I remembered back to those previous dinners that I cooked, served, ate quickly, and cleaned up. This is how I felt. It is probably strange...even for me but I had the best fun sketching it out and painting it. We lost another dear family member this week. She has celebrated her 'continuation' day and is now with her mom and dad and her other cousins. She leaves behind a family that will always celebrate her gentleness. My aunt was special to all of us. She loved each of us dearly for who we were and was always ready with a hug or a 'good job'. My memories are of breakfast pastries smeared with butter on top. It was not like they were not sweet enough as they were, but at her small kitch...

Sleeping Cowboy . Ernest Hemingway . Sunday, a day of rest . Western Painting by Texas Artist Laurie Pace

© +Laurie Pace Graphics One Design 2019 Sleeping Cowboy Commissioned Painting for one of our oldest friends. 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW MY BLOG ON INSTAGRAM @lauriepaceblog Available Paintings by Laurie Pace “I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?” Ernest Hemingway I really enjoyed painting this scene. It was restful to me as the artist and loved by our friends. Sunday is the day of rest. I smiled when I found this in archives and thought it perfect for this day. If you live in Texas you know that we still have 'rules' about not selling liquor before noon. If you live in Texas and are in your late thirties and up, you might even remember Blue Laws. Stores were simply NOT open...

Laurie Pace - Fine Artist

Search This Blog