Inspiration Today, Studio Happenings and Work in Progress: 158

Revisiting the Art's Way, spending time on walks
and looking to nature to find inspiration

Here's what I am finding inspiring today -

1. This Quote - “If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” Edward Hopper
2.  Ways to get unstuck in creativity from a newsletter from my wonderful and creative friend Kat Sloma over at Kateyestudio.com 
   Here are four ways to jump start your creativity, suggested by my readers:
   1. Change mediums. There is nothing like dabbling with a different set of tools to open up a creative channel, is there?
   2. Go for a walk. Getting outside and moving helps you see things in a whole new way. Good for your body, mind and creative soul!
   3. Do something completely different. Go off and cook, work on a house project, and let your mind wander. The ideas inevitably come when we aren't wanting them.
   4. Journal. Morning pages are part of The Artist's Way for a reason, helping us to get all of those limiting thoughts out of our head and onto the page. 
   But most of all, they suggested, take the pressure off and let things be. Creative dips often come before a big step forward or a new project coming your way. Be patient, they told me.
3.  The brilliant and inspiring words of Julia Cameron every day with this book
4.  How my friend Minnemie sees art in the broken
5. Raise Your Hand and Say Yes

Finding Water, Quenching Thirst and the Creative Soul

Little Fish, Big Pond
encaustic and encaustic collagraph print on birch 12x24
I used some of the encaustic collagraph prints from this post and enhanced them with wax

Finding water - water seems to be one of those prompts that is showing up in my life these days.  It first came to me just in the pure form of being parched and realizing that I need to be cognizant and drink way more water in my day.  The second appeared in the title of the Julia Cameron book I picked up the other day - Finding Water.  The third came as a chapter in a book I picked off my bookshelf which I opened to a random chapter which was titled - Clear Water:  Nourishing the Creative Life.  Think there is some message that is trying to come in?!

Metaphorically speaking, water for the creative soul is an good way of looking at things and it was kind of resonating with me (being a water girl myself).  I liked the idea of the creative flow or spirit as a river and the beautiful watery flow of being in the creative zone.  We nourish our creative soul with this flow of ideas and the ability to create and bring these ideas to be out in the world through paint, writing, cooking, quilting, knitting whatever.  Being we are talking of flowing water here, there is a constant and endless river to keep us going.  But the key is to let it be so.

Yet, if we block that river with little dams of excuses, or pollutants of all kinds whether self or other - the magical flow slows.  If we are not careful or observant, over time, clogs build.  We may not notice the constriction, the restriction because there still is a trickle that comes through - less and less as it gets choked into silence.  We move on, the creative soul is no longer fed and we start to wonder why we are feeling a deep thirst within ourselves.  Hopefully, we never get to the point of desert and dunes and no oasis in sight.  But, the take away here is that we need to be mindful of our thirst for creativity and the need to find an outlet and most importantly, let the river flow freely without constriction.  Drink deeply and let the current carry you away. 
Happy Friday everyone!! 

Inspiration, Getting from A to B, and The Couple's New House

The Couple
This is their house - on the back side of their cedar block
encaustic and oil on cedar block 6 1/4 x 11 x 5 1/2

 Remember The Couple from last week?  Well, they have a house now.... and a picket fence.

I decided to leave the sides with only the fence for fear things would get too complicated and busy
encaustic and oil on cedar block 6 1/4 x 11 x 5 1/2

Ever wonder how it works to get from A to B? How does the creative mind work to get from the concept at A to the finished piece at B? I thought for fun I would show you all the inspiration that went into how this 3D piece of art came about and some insight on how my creative brain gets from A to B.

I saw Kathy Taylor's 3D encaustic art blocks Here



Kathy Taylor Fine Art





My cedar block came from a friend's scrap pile.  I went to Home Depot and cruised the knob selection and landed on the silver knobs for the feet.  I had two critera - smallish and ones that would sit flat once attached to the bottom of the block.  The selection was a little slim - but I decided the silver ones would work.
 
Next came the power tools - the drill and also the dremel.  I had to sheer off the top (head) of the screws for the knobs so that I had just the threaded portion left.  I used the dremel for this, but a hack saw would also work.  I drilled 4 pilot holes into the base of the block and screwed in the threaded screws leaving enough of the screw exposed to then screw the knobs on flush to the wood. Taped them for protection, then started adding the wax coating to the block.

Next, I needed a subject for my 3D block.  I tried a few horses a la Kathy Taylor, but they weren't working for me.  So, I turned to some other inspiration.

In my studio, I keep the art of others that I find inspirational.  Diane Culhane, a local Seattle artist, is one artist that I have a couple of her paintings.  She tends to add cute little couples in her artwork.  I have this painting of Diane's which put me on to the tangent of painting a couple.

Artwork by Diane Culhane

The Couple then, just sprouted from my imagination.  I set in their shapes and just painted from there.  But, I'm not well versed in painting men, so I searched Google images and found this couple for inspiration.  I really liked his suit and the 60's vibe.  Although, my guy looks a little like Mr. Bates on Downton Abbey.

More about them Here

Then, I needed a house - so, once again I turned to Diane's work - my other painting of hers has this darling red house (and a cute little couple). 

Artwork by Diane Culhane

Plus, I found this house in the newspaper the morning I was going to launch my house artwork for The Couple. 

Photo by J.D. Pooley

I still needed a little more house inspiration so I also found this house

Artwork by Warren Kimble

and this one

Artwork by Michael Holland

The picket fence also needed a quick reference to Google Images.  I searched on white house picket fence and found exactly what I needed.  I also remembered that David Hockney had a painting with a house in it - so I went on that tangent and oogled over Hockney's work on Google images.  Love his stuff and it was a fun distraction to spend some time enjoying it.

It's an interesting path getting from A to B.  Sometimes its straight forward and simple with one reference photo and other times, it takes a lot of little pieces to make the complete picture come together.  I'm curious to hear how you get from A to B.

Also, a big heartfelt thanks to all of my PPF friends and the lovely comments left on Eva and Kristin's site last week.  It makes me happy to have shared my story with you.  I'm away at my encaustic class this weekend - so please forgive me for not getting around to visit everyone this week.  Can't wait to tell you all about what I learned!!




The Circus, Creative Blocks, and Tracking Wild Animals

Margo Always Wanted to Join the Circus
encaustic and paper on birch 16x16
not quite done yet..

I was chatting with a friend of mine.  I mentioned that I'm feeling blocked and creativity just really isn't flowing like it was a few months ago.  I feel like things have gone quiet and the creative juices are just not flowing.. trickle, yes - but not flowing.  Her read on it was maybe I was making it into something that shouldn't be - that I've gone down the wrong road and all is quiet so that I will reevaluate.   This got me thinking..

What if, in fact, a creative block is a very good thing? What if a creative block is a message from the Universe that this path is no longer the one for me?  Somewhere I've made a wrong turn and ended up at a spot where I don't need to be.  Or, maybe I've misread the signs and I'm headed a direction that is just OK... but not really where I need to go.  Therefore the further I go along this thread, the farther away I get.. the more the distance, the greater the feeling of losing my way.  The more I feel that I have lost my way, the harder it is to get on track, to show up, to keep going..  Perhaps there is a point to recognize this path no longer serves me.   Its frustrating when it happens because its so easy to look at it in a negative way. - I can't (whatever) - paint, draw, write - I'm at a lack of creative ideas... all is quiet and I'm stuck, I can't seem to produce - whatever it is.. usually the vibe is negative. 

I tend to take the stance that I am going to get beyond this block and its my nature to keep running up against it thinking I will break my way through.  What if instead of trying to get over, under, around the block that has been set before me that i actually take a step back - or perhaps what if at this point i turn back and retrace my steps to the point where i last felt success in my work.  When I say success I mean, joy and happiness - that i felt like it was the be all end all and i was definately doing the right thing, creating from my heart with bliss.  A point at which ideas were more than I could keep up with... all was well.  What if i go back to that spot and take a look - carefully at all the signs that are left there.  How did I miss the trail?  It happens, it happens to the best wildlife trackers in the world.  The subtley of the way the paw print reads in the sand can be misread and send a tracker in a direction that is not correct and the trail runs cold.  You know what they do?  They go back to the last good footprint and reevaluate.  Did the tracker see the way the print was slightly more indented on one side, showing a change in direction?  Only the keenest eyes can see these things... I'm still learning, I"m not an expert, therefore I do misread the tracks.  Its OK, its not detremental unless it brings me to a halt.  There is nothing wrong with side roads.  Sometimes we find the best things when we make a wrong turn.  But, if the trail is running cold... maybe its best to turn back to the point at which things were clear and redirect from there.

UpDate::  The golf shoe painting that I did for the raffle... One of my favorite golfing friends was the lucky raffle winner - YAY!  Nice to know they went to a good and loving home :)

It's party time!!

Creative Inspiration:: Collecting Books

I seem to be collecting books lately.  I really don't know why.  All of them, I have been drawn to and had to buy.  Some, I haven't yet opened since they arrived in my home.  Others, are partially read and some, I'm not really sure why I bought them in the first place, other than I just liked them.  Do you collect books?  I find great inspiration in books.  I'm a slow reader.  I am one of those people who has to read every word.  Therefore it takes me a while to read a book.  I also like to read a book in its entirety.  However, these books I am finding that a read some, take what I need and then let it sit for a while.  I may or may not come back to it.  But aren't they pretty?

One of my favorite places to stumble upon interesting books is Anthropologie.  Seems I come home with one whenever I go there.  I've found some of my favorites at Anthropologie.  Ones that when I open the pages, inspiration just flows.  I now own two books by Sabrina Ward Harrison.  The first one is The True and the Questions. 

The second is And the Story is Happening.  I actually have no intention of using these books as they were intended.  Both are designed to be used for journaling.  I just love looking at them.  For some reason I'm drawn to that way she paints her background work for these journaling pages. 

Twyla - well, we all should read this book.  Its been on my list for quite a while and I found it in a local bookstore.  I'm halfway through it.  All good stuff and I love the design work of the inside of this book.  If I ever write a book, I will use this design as inspiration.

This one I haven't read yet.  But, how could I pass up a title like this.  The contributers to this book are all amazing women.  The photography is brilliant.  I'm super excited to dive into this one.

I like Danny Gregory.  His story is inspiring and his drawings are fun.  He has a lot of good stuff to say in this book and good lessons on drawing.

Finally, if you know Susannah... well, you just have to have this book.  Susannah teaches the amazing Unravelling courses.  She is a brillant Polaroid photographer and writer.  I've just read little bits so far and already I love it. 
So, what books are on your nightstand?