Friday, September 28, 2012

Inspiration, Vade Mecum and Intuitive Art

Vade Mecum
encaustic 30x30
Inspiration in our lives.  This is what we are visiting this week in my intuitive painting class.  So what inspires me? 
  1. laughter
  2. sunrise
  3. nature
  4. the color orange
  5. my Mom
  6. older people out enjoying life
  7. beauty in words
  8. creating something from the heart
  9. magic moments
  10. so many more...
Number 8 and number 9 need a little more explination.

#8
For me, number 8 is not necessarily creating art.  There is so much more to creating from the heart, at least I believe so.  For me, its things like:
Making my husband's lunch in the morning.  Sending a "thinking of you " text to a friend.  Writing thoughtful words.  Sharing a smile.
 
#9
You've seen it - the way the light shines in just the right way, there is a certain radience to it that lights up an object in a delightful way.  My Dad called these magic moments. He had honed his senses to see these things in life - the magic moments.  He would stop and pause, and watch that split second when the light on an object was perfection.  He would stand and stare, taking it in and remembering the detail of it.  He logged hunderds of magic moments into his mind where they would stay until needed for inspiration.

I also find inspiration in collecting things that catch my eye.  I have little piles that have come from pockets, stashes of colorful things, cards. pages torn from magazines, 1000s of photos in Picasa.  I have the need to touch fabrics and objects.  I take artist dates to Anthropolgie and I think I touch just about everything in that store.  I have to.. its in my wiring, the curiosity and the need to connect with things that inspire me.  I often pick up things, touch things, thumb through books and pause to look at something without thinking - it just happens. When we draw inspiration from our lives.. its not just the tangible things that we can lay hand to. Sometimes its the words of friends, its the steam curling from a bowl of hot soup, a smile, the way the flavor of dark chocolate dances on your tounge. The thing about finding inspriation in our everyday life is to notice it.   It's the ability to feel that little flutter of the heart when something inspiring lights up the moment and we learn to recognize it and take a mental or physical note of it. There is no telling when that glimmer of inspiration might circle back and be the thread that leads to something new. 

The deer painting above is my first intuitive piece.  He just showed up during my last painting session.  I had kept a photo of a deer - one of my things I collected somewhere along the way.  His image kept dancing across my mind.  So, here he is.  Several layers of playful color introduced over the past couple of weeks in Flora Bowley's class resulted in this painting.  He was painted with no thought, no sketch.. freehand with only a notion that he was what needed to be on this panel.  When I started to paint him, I kept telling myself - don't think, just paint.   I did spiral out to clean up a few mistakes - like an oversized ear, but really, he is pretty much how he came to be.  There was a point that I just knew, I was finished - no more.   I have a feeling he is here to guide me on my way to new destinations of colorful art - thus his name Vade Mecum.
It's Party Time - YAY!

37 comments:

  1. Gorgeous painting!!
    Love your idea of listing your inspirations, too!
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this post--such precious thoughts. I am usually a planner when I'm creating, although lots of intuitive stuff still happens while I'm working on a piece. But I'm taking Flora Bowley's class in Italy next week (eeek!) and I'm excited but a little nervous about where it will take me! But I think it will be amazing, judging from what you say here and your deer piece. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful work! I love your ideas for listing inspiration and giving value to the time spent exploring and finding what inspires us. I always want to buy everything in the store when I go to Anthropologie, so I have to limit my visits there! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. thank you for visiting my blog. wow! that deer is looking at me! i have great interest in intuitive painting. i believe i do paint that way. i also love to linger for some moment with something i like at a shop. i open notebooks and touch the page... that's why i don't like it when a saleslady follows you around. one time, i was standing in front of rows of shampoos. ha,ha,ha! then zoomed in a shampoo brand promoter. she was blabbering about this brand, etc. i had to oh so kindly tell her that i really am trying to choose and i cannot do so if someone's talking to me. he,he,he.... i love your work! melinda alpha #35

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, Great job. Very powerful and moving. HPPF

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wowness..another awe-inspiring piece..this whole post in total.. was magical and meaningful..thankyou for sharing your special list..all so wonderful! I LOVE this new being..not only how you are instantly-pulled IN directly to the center of this piece..but then alongside/and the backdrop is so full of energy and texture it almost feels like a beautiful "soulprint"( like a fingerprint)..but all soul..gorgeous!!I want to reach and touch the tapestry of the soul all around this beautiful creature! this piece is very multi-sensory for me..i love it! Powerful ..and also gentle! brilliant!
    Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  7. Marji, this is such an inspiring post. I went back to look at your painting again and again as well as to reread your words. I feel like your painting is speaking directly to me. Beautiful work.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A wonderful post Marji, full of inspiration and joy. Loving your latest work. Happy PPF, Annette x

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh this is gorgeous and your post is so inspiring and wonderful!!! well done!!! Happy PPF!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. this is mesmerising!! The deer appears to be looking directly into my eyes-incredible! HPPF!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Absolutely dazzling deer ~ very powerful and creative ~ (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your deer is very impressive - he has a great radiance. Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the intuitive painting of the deer, Marji. Very beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful words and such a gorgeous painting!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Another rich post by you! Seriously your words and art are so inspirational!! they mesmerize me in thought!! Magic moments...my dad was similar but in different ways.... I will take a piece of how your dad saw the world with me forever!! I have a post in draft on what inspires me and boy everyone is so different on what brings about creativity!! Your deer is truly gorgeous, I would encourage you to look up the symbolism of a deer. I did, and found it really interesting!Thank you for inspiring me!!

    Big hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  16. so beautful and rich with color and texture! Orange is one of my favorite colors too!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a beautiful post. And I absolutely love your painting - so much depth, and the deer just leaps off the page...

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a great painting that showed up- so glad you listened because this is fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  19. your painting is so beautiful and eye catching...and your post is totally inspirational, I enjoyed the visit!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is utterly beautiful, even more so because you didn't plan it. I think it would have been one of your Dad's "magic moments".

    ReplyDelete
  21. this is wonderfully inspired. love the idea of magic moments. i think we all have them but are not always as tuned into them as we could be. you've inspired me to be more mindful of when they're occurring!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fabulous post and love that you are finding new images and thoughts emerging out of the class... fun to hear about it and see where it is leading you...xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh my gosh...you should keep doing intuitive work. The deer is amazing. This is really incredible, I have goosebumps. And I love the post as well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your art is magical to me. :) Your dad sounds like an awesome guy.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your deer is amazing. I love that it was an intuitive piece, I have such trouble turning off during painting. And I just loved your inspiration number 8. Such simple things that can give joy and inspiration. x

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a wonderful list! I though I would tell you which number(s) inspire me too, but it ended up to be just about the whole list:-) I especially like how you explained #8&9. And then #6&7 really resonated particularly with me as well. SO there, I singled out some anyway:-) I really like how harmoniously you are able to weave so many colors into you paintings! Very rich.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am printing this post to remind me of why I try to paint! Thank you - and for the link to the definition (lol).
    cheers, dana

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yes, he really looks like he belongs there, no doubt about it! Isn't it great how these figures show up in our layers? That's what I love most about this way of painting.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love your blog!! You are incredibly creative. I am a new follower and was hoping that you would return the favor. Hop on over to: www.enjoyingtheepiphany.com, read me, follow me if you like what you read! That'd be SUPER! (Yes, I did just say super.)

    :-)

    Positively,
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  30. I really love this painting- the colour, thick layers of paint creating all those lovely textures - and free line work. And of course, most of all- i love that it is orange! You might like to share it on Mandarin Orange Monday:)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Beautiful portrait of this noble animal. Happy PPF!

    ReplyDelete
  32. You are oh soooo talented. The deer painting is just incredible and your list just makes me smile and a huge grin is lit up on my face when I visit your blog.
    You truly are amazing.
    And inspiring.

    Hadiyah

    ReplyDelete
  33. WOW! beautiful colors and quite right , soulful is the word for most of your work...very intuitive and it was brilliant hearing about your thoughts and advice about inspiration..Lovely post and lovely work..

    Duaa

    ReplyDelete