Studio Journal Entry 007: The Story Behind Weightless

"Sometimes we paint the places we hope our hearts will one day arrive."

When I painted Weightless, I wasn't trying to recreate a photograph.

I was chasing a feeling.

At the time, I had already experimented with painting mountains, so clouds felt like the natural next challenge.

They're constantly changing.

Always moving.

Never perfectly shaped.

I thought they'd be difficult.

Instead, they surprised me.

This painting flowed almost effortlessly.

There's something freeing about painting clouds because they aren't supposed to be perfect. They overlap, soften, disappear into one another. The imperfections are what make them believable.

Looking back, I think I needed that reminder.

Around this time, I'd finally decided to leave oil painting behind and fully embrace heavy body acrylics.

I loved the richness and texture of oils, but acrylics gave me many of the same qualities while allowing me to work in a way that felt more natural.

It was one of those creative decisions that quietly changed everything.

One of my favorite parts of Weightless is something that isn't confined to one area of the canvas.

It's the blending.

The way each color melts into the next without sharp edges or obvious boundaries.

The transitions became just as important as the colors themselves.

When I stand in front of Weightless today, the first thing I feel is calm.

It doesn't ask anything of me.

It simply lets me breathe.

This painting also taught me something that has followed me well beyond the studio.

I can learn how to do almost anything...

If I'm willing to be patient.

If I'm willing to believe I can.

Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination, a little faith, and a few Bob Ross-inspired "happy little clouds."

When I finished this painting, I gave it the title Weightless.

Not because the clouds looked like they were floating.

Because I was trying to describe a feeling I wished I had.

Life has a way of piling responsibilities, expectations, and worries onto our shoulders until we forget what lightness feels like.

For a few hours while I painted this canvas...

I remembered.

If Weightless could whisper one sentence, I think it would smile and say,

"Don't look down."

Not as a warning.

As an invitation.

To stop focusing on everything pulling us toward the ground...

...and remember what it feels like to drift for a while.

Until next time,

Thanks for spending a few minutes behind the easel with me.

One of my favorite things about abstract art is that no two people experience a painting the same way. If this piece reminds you of a place, a memory, or simply a feeling, then it's already begun a conversation—and I love that.

See you in the studio,

Lisa
LBW Creative Studio

——

One Last Thought Before I Clean My Brushes

"We don't always paint the life we're living. Sometimes we paint the life we're learning to believe is possible."