The painting felt heavy. Nothing flowed. The horses seemed awkward rather than natural. Somewhere along the way, I had painted the life right out of them.
©Laurie Pace Graphics One Design 2026
GRAZING
Oil on Canvas SOLD by Laurie Pace
Sometimes You Have to Destroy It to Find It
I had five horses on my canvas. The bottom layer was just a clean space place the horse layer for me to begin to visualize my direction.
As I painted, the colors were brighter, the paint was thicker, and I had spent hours working on them.
But something was wrong.
The painting felt heavy. Nothing flowed. The horses seemed awkward rather than natural.
Somewhere along the way, I had painted the life right out of them.
Adding more paint wasn't going to fix it.
I needed to take something away.
So I began painting back into the horses, changing passages I had already worked so hard to create.
There was no guarantee I would improve the painting. But I knew I couldn't leave it the way it was.
Hesitantly movement returned. The heavy passages blended out. The colors began working together instead of shouting out.
The painting started to breathe.
Looking at the three progressive photographs reminds me how often we hold tightly to something simply because we've invested so much in it.
But sometimes letting go is the only way forward.
God reminds us:
“See, I am doing a new thing!” — Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
Sometimes what looks like destruction is really the beginning of something new.
Sometimes you have to stop protecting what you've painted to discover what the painting can become. Elle
The Spirit of the Paint.
Laurie Pace | Elle Pace
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Artist Laurie Pace shares how painting over five horses transformed a heavy, awkward oil painting into a lesson about letting go, creativity, and grace.
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Laurie Pace, Elle Pace, Threads of Grace, The Spirit of the Paint, horse painting, equine art, original oil painting, palette knife painting, contemporary impressionism, painting process, artist journey, creative transformation, faith and art, Isaiah 43:19
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Laurie Pace shares how painting over five horses became a lesson in creativity, transformation, letting go, and trusting the process.
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.
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