Abstract Color, Musings and Paintings

So you have a new exciting idea! A fresh look at an old subject? An abstract longing? And you're ready to tackle that blank canvas again....what's next? What's your intent? I ask these questions in my last blog post...why do I want to paint this? How can I achieve this? What do I want to say? That takes me to the third step....creating! SKILL! There are no shortcuts to achieving a skill level that enables the artist to bring an idea to  completion. However, achieving a great technique with one's medium is not the same as being creative. Skill gives confidence and needs constant practice. Someone once told me to "practice with purpose". Try new things - play! Combine your skill with passion and creativity can't be held back. Do you stick with the tried and true? or strike out in new directions? Do you always do it the same way? or are you willing to explore? Hope that my thoughts have given you new ideas about your personal adventure wi

OK....so you feel you're back on track and for a time it's clear sailing and then "it" happens. Yep, you find yourself in a rut! How does it feel? For me it's when I go to the studio and nothing seems to grab my attention. Painting subjects become repetitive. There's no communication with the canvas...just rote strokes of paint that get wiped away in frustration. Ever been there? First, recognize what might be causing this feeling of futile creating.... Have your circumstances changed? People trouble? Money concerns? Health? Distractions? Environment? I think you can see that almost life itself can effect our creativity. And while I can't solve all of the problems or concerns that you may be facing, I can give you some advice about how I pull myself out of the "rut". I look for new ideas! I asked myself "Why would I want to paint this?" or "What do I want to say in this painting?". Having an idea is just the first s

Last post said "Don't Over Plan".....Today let's think about not getting derailed! Or how about sidetracked! and no, not speaking of trains... How can we get derailed or sidetracked? Any of these sound familiar? Other people? Do we tend to listen to other artists who offer advice or maybe family, friends? How often do we ask what someone thinks before we have reached our own destination in the painting? Expect Perfection? Do we tend to have expectations for our art, our creative endeavors, before we have the experience. Someone once told me that he would take a look at my paintings "after" I'd completed a hundred more. Sounded like a put off at first but after the 50th, I began to see that the experience was actually causing me to improve on my own. Expecting perfection too soon can cause derailment! Trying a new medium because someone else loves it?  I've been ask several times if I've ever tried encaustics and the answer is no. I love w

Today's blog will be shorter than usual....I just heard a sigh of relief! Don't OVERPLAN.....in other words, Don't stifle your creativity. Respond to the process - use good planning - not too much planning. E. B. White said, "prepare to be lucky". Be prepared to work at your art and accept "luck" when it happens! Here's one of those paintings that began with a thought, a very loose plan, and somewhere along the way luck happened. Hope you enjoy viewing as much as I enjoyed painting. Till next time....carly "GO FISH" 24 x 36 mixed media Available at ArtTrends Gallery, Saint Simons Island, GA

I follow Robert Burridge's blog posts occasionally and one of the things he talks about is "what is the idea?" for the painting. Got me thinking about how I come up with ideas and recently did this exercise and shared it with a couple of my students. On a piece of paper, write 20 things that you "see". You can stay in a room or go outside. Keep it simple...just record things that you see. 5 minutes. Second step is to turn the paper over and on the other side write things that "interest" you. Take 20 minutes for this part. You may not even get to 20! Now, what is the difference between the two lists. "Interests" come from within....touches a cord that you, the artist, can turn into an idea. I read recently that Ann Baldwin, well known mixed media artist, used Shakespeare as an idea for paintings for 3 years! Obviously a good idea that expanded her work! What happens with good ideas? They open the artist within to new adventures, excite