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Hi Patricia, you can rest assured that you are not alone. There is nothing more intimidating for some people than a blank canvas. I find the common thread with most of the people who talk about this is that they put the canvas upon the easel first and then try to figure out what to do. To get around this I try to always have an idea first before I pull out a canvas. The idea of the painting is not only its subject but also its basic method of procedure and a mental image of the completed work.
Another useful tip is the one that Laurel gave which is to paint every day. Being in the habit of painting is a very useful tool. It allows your mind to constantly be working on painting even when you are not actually painting. This ability for part of your mind to always be working on the problems of painting helps a great deal when you are actually in front of the canvas.
The last useful tip I have for this is one that I'd give for people who work from photographs. Choose and photographs that you're going to paint the next week or two. This obviously means that you're going to do sketches rather than tight renderings. Next choose the photograph you like the least. Start with that one. That takes a great deal of pressure off. Good luck Patricia I hope you work through all of these problems and find that joy in painting again.
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