Friday, October 23, 2009

Where Does the Inspiration Come From?


The question, which is so subjective and broad in scope, is, none the less, a question that most artists ponder for a considerable amount of time. On the other hand, one of our greatest fears is, " what if the inspirations stops?" So fearsome a thought, I won't go there, but rather will try to answer where inspiration comes from for me. Other artist's work is one of my greatest inspirations, whether they are living, contemporary artists or great masters who are no longer here. One young, compared to me, painter I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago, and have been following his career since is Colin Page. I read his blog regularly and feel akin to many of his thoughts about painting and being a painter. His work is phenomonal and my gut tells me he will be a great American artist before is career is through.

Something else that inspires me a lot is how some artists are able to take the very mundane and make beautiful paintings out of it, something I strive for and hope to be able to do with ease some day. In my painting, You're In, You're Out, I painted an interior scene based on the kitchen of the Red House on Monhegan Island, and as always with interiors, I was having a hard time making a statement in the painting. After much ado, I got the idea to put my dog and husband in the scene, and voila, it solved the problem! An inspired thought, for sure.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Some Thoughts


Keeping a journal has always been something I wanted to do but never did--for whatever reason, I don't truly know. This blog is the closest I've come to it and I realize that new technology has made it much easier for one to correspond with friends, or anyone for that matter. Being able to upload images is just an added plus to this whole process. A friend of mine, an avid journal keeper and painter used to glue photographs of her work, or places of interest, into her journal, adding a new and interesting dimension to journaling.
With that said, I now want to update a photo of an unfinished painting, posted earlier, that I intended to work on in these ensuing weeks. When I originally started this painting, I set up the still life for a student and decided to paint along with her to more or less walk her through the painting. At the outset, because of the complexity of the print, I decided to simplify the tablecloth for my student. After she finished her painting, which came out very nice, and I began to complete mine, I decided to remain truer to the print of the tablecloth, and I must admit, it is a lot more challenging then I expected it to be. I do enjoy working out the problems, though, and feel it will be worth it when I am finished. I still have some details to resolve on the left side of the cloth, but the right side is falling into place nicely. There is a lot more work to do, overall, but it should turn into a nice painting when done.