Inspiration Today, Studio Happenings and Work in Progress: 157

Working on doodles for my class with Diane Culhane
its pretty addictive to draw on these little watercolor pages

Here's some things that I am finding inspiring today.

1. little blue hearts - On my morning walk, I came across a box of chalk that some kids had left at the top of a very long outdoor staircase and trail.  They had done some street art but left their chalk.  I got the happy idea to take a piece of chalk and "share some love".  Little blue hearts now dot the stairs and trail to add a "little love" to the day of someone passing.
2. Cutter's Point coffee for charities. 
3. For all who love color
4. These lovely linocuts
5.  Poetic paintings

Inspiration Today, Studio Happenings and Work in Progress 156

little acrylic starts and experiments
all are 4" by 3,4 or 6 - they will all become backgrounds and underpaitings for something yet to come

Here's what I am finding inspiring this week:

1. This cat painting by Carla Sonheim 
2. A walk through Anthropologie always helps my creativity.  This time they were setting up for Earth Day. 

     3. Orange Roses

4.  Found hearts in my day.  You know the ones that appear in the shadows, the leaves, the clouds... I love finding these little "love" notes.  They make me smile.
5.  Getting together with other artist friends to talk about what we love - art.

Art Inspiration Today - Masks by Junior Fritz Jacquet

I found these on sifter today - I thought they were pretty amazing.  Now, I'll think twice about tossing the old rolls in the bin :) 
Here's the story:

French artist Junior Fritz Jacquet has been fascinated by paper since a young age. Inspired by the traditional art of origami, Jacquet explores and experiments with folding and crumpling techniques, developing an innovative style all his own.
In a series entitled Masks, Jacquet squishes and crumples 40 different toilet paper rolls into unique and expressive faces which are then coated with shellac and various pigments. In addition to the masks below, you can find more on his website and Facebook page.

1.

Artwork by JUNIOR FRITZ JACQUET | Facebook

Photograph by Matthieu Gauchet

2.

Artwork by JUNIOR FRITZ JACQUET | Facebook

Photograph by Matthieu Gauchet

 

 

 

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!!




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!

Commitments, Style and Inspiration

Style Statement
encaustic on birch 10x10

Way back in March,  I committed to doing a painting for an upcoming raffle.  The raffle is just a couple of weeks away and I decided that I needed to get on it, after all, I had committed a painting.  There's still a little tidy up work to do on this pair, but for the most part they are done.  I've been wanting to experiemnt with incorporating the style of one of my favorite artists - Wayne Thiebaud.  He often uses a plain off white background and that awesome blue for shadows.
I'm actually glad that I waited to do this because I have used some of the techniques that I have been playing with over the past week or so.  The background is done with tinted off-white shellac over the off-white background.  I just painted it on leaving lots of brush strokes horizontally.  I wanted kind of a striated line.  Its a shame that encaustics don't photo better because the background, while subtle, is pretty good.  I did start with a bright orange layer, then the off white, then the shellac, then clear wax to get what I was looking for.  I also used the exacto knife and black oil paint for outlining, like in the zentangles from last week.  I did have to tighten up a bit as all the play was really wigging out my inner critic, who has been howling with all this playtime.  I've delegated her to take a seat in the back of the bus with fear and doubt.   The three of them can keep each other company in the back seat, while I do the driving. 

I am still working on playing in the studio.  I've also been digging into books for inspiration.  In keeping with my thoughts on loosening up and stretching my wings to try new things... I signed up for an online painting class with Flora Bowley called Bloom True.  Its going to be a stretch for me, a biiiiiiiiiiiggggg stretch,  but in a good way I think.  I'm deciding whether to try it in wax or actually go for it with acrylic paints.  I have time to mull that over as class doesn't start until September 3.
Its Friday.  Its 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?

Friday:: Aspire to Inspire

Smile
encaustic on birch 10x10

Have you ever pondered the thought : What lifts me up? 
What is it that you do that really makes you feel good inside and causes that little wave of emotion to surge and the tiniest of smiles to cross your face.
What lifts me up?  I've been thinking about this lately.   This is what I came up with:  Inspire - inspire is top of the list. Really. The thought I did something or said something that inspired someone else – wowie. Uplifting. You GO Girl kinda stuff.

So how do we do this – add inspire to our daily list of things we do? What if the TO DO list looked something like this:

Grocery shopping, inspire, bank, inspire, Dr. appt.,inspire, laundry, inspire, make dinner, inspire

I mean really, look at the definition. How can we not find a way to add this to our day.

in·spired, in·spir·ing, in·spires
v.tr.

1. To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence.

2. To fill with enlivening or exalting emotion:
3.
a. To stimulate to action; motivate:.
b. To affect or touch:
4. To draw forth; elicit or arouse:
5. To be the cause or source of; bring about.
6. To draw in (air) by inhaling.

7. Archaic

a. To breathe on.
b. To breathe life into.
v.intr.
1. To stimulate energies, ideals, or reverence:
2. To inhale.

Inspire comes in so many shapes and forms. Inspire can be intentional and unintentional. I actually believe that often times we have no idea that something we did was inspiring. So today add inspire to your “do” list – say something kind, do something kind, smile, laugh, compliment, hug, kiss, inhale – and be your amazing self. You may not know who you inspire, but really that's OK. If we all include at least one kind act or kind words in our day, we will inspire others. Today, go out into the world and aspire to inspire.

Happy Paint Party Friday to you all. Many thanks to this group for their kindness and beautiful inspirational work. Hit the button below and go and visit some of these amazing artists who share their work on Fridays.  (sorry for the small print - ran into an HTML snag that I couldn't seem to fix)

Inspiration Today::Blue Trees

There is a place in Seattle with blue trees.  Its Westlake Park in downtown Seattle.
An Australian artist, Konstantin Dimopoulos is coloring some of Seattle's trees with a water soluble ultramarine blue.  It is part of his international art installation The Blue Trees.  A week or so ago, I talked about pushing our creativity.  If you missed this post, I would at least urge you to go and watch the OKGO video there.  I could really see this concept of pushing creativity in Kon's Blue Tree Project.  He had an issue that he felt needed to be raised - but how do you do that in an Ultra - creative way? 

Well, you paint trees Ultra Marine Blue. 

His idea is to bring attention to the deforestation of millions of acres of forests on our planet.  About 32 million acres of forests were converted to other uses or lost to natural causes each year between 2000 and 2010.  This is a big loss of our green nation.

The color itself is made of azurite which is a vibrant blue rock that is ground and mixed with water. It does not harm the tress and will fade away with the rain.  Its an unexpected color to associate with trees, thus bringing our attention to notice them. 

The artist believes that deforestation is a topic that is out of sight.  Its not one that many people stop to think about.  His idea is that with this odd color for trees that people would take pause and learn what the project is and what it represents.  

This is an interesting example of pushed creativity. Point taken. 

"I don't have the answers but I can raise the issue" Dimopoulos said.  

I've been thinking a lot about voice in art.  Its more than just a painting or a photo.  Its what it has to say.  I know I'm trying to find the voice in my art.  How do I make what I do speak of something?  How do I give a voice to a subject or to something that can not speak?  And how do I do this in a two dimensional way?  Its an interesting thing to think about.  I found the Blue Tree project inspiring in the regard that it gives a voice to something that can not speak on its own.

Inspiration Today::Are you pushing your Creativity?

under the sea

This is the last of the series of sea paintings.  Its been wonderful exploring the sea and its underwater beauty.  Next week, I will start on a new inspiration and see what that brings to my art.

Octopus
encaustic and paper on birch panel 5x5

I've been thinking a lot about creativity, lately.  Seems like its in the front part of my mind these days.  The big questions I have been pondering is do I push my creativity enough?  Does my art have a voice?

I came across this video by OKGO - it made me realize that there are no boundaries, no limits to what we can do as artists.  You think you are pretty creative?  Check out this video - Creative Genius is even an understatement here::

Have you ever played the observation game?  What do you see?  You will usually always state the obvious things.  Then you ask again - What do you see?  We can usually come up with a few more things.. but by the third time - What do you see? Many of us get stumped.  Yet, if we allow ourselves to really see - to see the multidimensional layers of what's around us - then maybe we do start to see.  So, what if we adopt this in our art?  photography?  music?  OKGO obviously could get past all the boundaries that we set for ourselves.  I mean, REALLY, who comes up with stuff like this and then how in the world do you pull something like this video off?!!  REALLY! 
Its time to push a little or push a lot.  Its time to re-think and re-frame.  Its time to get a little more creative in what we do.  So, here's a proposal:: What if every time we do our art, we set aside a little time at the end to really try some new stuff, to push ourselves to dig in a little deeper.  You may be happy with what you do now, but maybe you will find something beyond what you do now that is even more exciting.  Start today really looking at the inspiring things around you and see what it can bring for you.  How can you push your photography? your painting? your music? your whatever it is that you do?  I'm going to try it and I'm kinda excited about it.  Think about it and you'll feel that little bubble of excitment grow from inside. 

I'm linking up with Paint Party Friday today.  I'm sorry to say that I will be out of the studio for the next couple of PPF weeks.  I will miss all of you. 

Tuesday Exchange #3 - Finding Inspiration

Finding Inspiration:: Under the Sea

Its week three of my Sea related adventure with my friend Ingrid. We are partnering over 4 weeks to explore the sea.  I decided to set up a separate page tab to explain the IM Project and show the good things we are creating. 

Where do you look for inspiration when you need it?  Today, I am looking to the Seattle Aquarium to find some sea creatures to inspire subjects for my chart panels.   I did a couple of sea creature paintings (here).  I had so much fun with them that I decided I need to keep going on this idea and see where it takes me.

 Oh my gosh... aren't they beautiful?  So many interesting shapes, sizes and colors.  Incredible, really.

 This is not my best photography, but that is not the point here.  The point is to gather inspiration and then create something from it. 

 I collect tons of photos. I take photos of things that catch my eye because of color, words, shape, shadow - whatever. Thank goodness for digital photography :)  Sometimes I wonder why I even took a photo. Why?

 The reason is that I never know when that will come back around for me - but in the moment, I just knew I had to capture it. These photos actually come from my archives.

 Don't you just love these starfish photos?  Their little toes curl at the ends.  They are just hanging out on a rock under the sea.   Don't they seem to have a people-like quality? 

The anemones - the undersea flowers. Yep, beautiful

 OK, I'm in love with the sea grass in this one.  And, those fishies are pretty sweet.  Especially the one peeking in from the bottom.

And more pink sea anemone love.  So frilly fine.
You see, art has a process and it starts at inspiration.  Now that I have gathered some ideas, I'll head to the studio and see what becomes.  I have two chart panels waiting for a subject.
Head over to Ingrid's blog and see what SEA inspired delights she is bringing today.

Tuesday Exchange #2

The Sea is the four week theme of the IM (Ingrid-Marji) Project and this week I've been exploring the colors of the sea  . 

The Punchy Sea Color Palette

I seem to be interested in color these days... how it works together, where it falls on the color wheel, etc.  After last week, I sat down and created a color palette from my photos from my day at the beach. You can see my inspiration photos here.  I came up with a beautiful color palette of neutrals, blues and grays. 

Neutral Colors of the Sea

But I was feeling that I needed a little punch to add to this palette that I created.  So, I spent some time looking through many beach photos to come up with a more punchy color palette.  Now, I stayed true to the pacific northwest and didn't stray from our local beaches in order to find the more vibrant colors.  I realized, that for the most part, I could pretty much create a color wheel from my selection of photos. 
There used to be a show on HGTV that you got to choose from a color wheel that was created from beautiful colorful objects that were in little boxes around the wheel.  Do you like the color of crab shell?  Its complimentary color is plankton.  Or perhaps you prefer an analogous color selection of crab, starfish and sand dollar.  Me... well, I just LOVE all the colors in the Yellow Orange photo :)

Red - starfish

Red Orange - Sand dollar

Orange - Clam Shell

Yellow Orange - Crab Shell

Yellow - Sea Grass

Yellow Green - plankton

Green - Shell

Blue Green - Rope

Blue - Rope

Blue Violet - Scallop Shell

Violet - Crab Claw

Red Violet - Crab

Now that I have my colors and inspiration figured out, I will have to see what I can do in the studio with all of this color inspiration.   Stop by Ingrid's blog and check out her SEA inspired goodness this week.  Our SEA theme is in the second week and most importantly, having a partner to keep my head in the game is really working for me.