Month: February 2012

Great Creative Ideas

Cheryl
“Where Good Ideas Come From” – This video is an entertaining animation that talks about how the greatest inventions in science and technology came to be. In the second half, it makes a strong case for networking in order to bring out the best creative ideas. In any creative field, we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, and so I see applications from this for the visual arts as well. We can’t exactly have a chat with most of the great artists who went before us (and if you think you can, I don’t want to know about it 🙂 . However, taking the time to study their works can tremendously boost your own ability. It’s inspiring to go to galleries and stand in front of masterpieces. If that is not possible for you, libraries and the internet are wonderful resources. Discover which past great artists have paintings that really move you. And the very best way to learn from the greats? Spend time copying their paintings (for educational purposes, meaning, not for public display or sale). This allows you to absorb some of their painting expertise in a way far superior to simple observation. You need not worry that the influence will be overly strong – your own unique interpretation will eventually shine through, in the same way that your signature is your own. In this way, you create a space where ideas can “mingle and swap, and create new forms”. 
Underneath250

Less Is More

Cheryl 3 Comments
There are many common misconceptions  about painting. One is, that the more tubes or jars of colour that are put out for a painting, the more chance there is of getting the colours in that painting right. In fact, fewer pigments make for the best chance of a harmonious colour scheme. I rarely use more than 4 pigments in a painting, and frequently prefer 3 plus white. Mixed secondaries – greens, purples, oranges – have the advantage of being related to the primaries they are mixed from. More important, a green mixed from blue and yellow can be mixed to sometimes lean to the blue and other times lean to the yellow. This gives life and interest to the colour that straight green from a tube is sadly lacking. So when putting out your paints next time, remember, less is more. 
FlowT

Sometimes

Cheryl 1 Comment
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I will try again…'” (Thanks @NoraWhalen) –  It’s tough being a beginner. That applies to painting too, and I think especially if you have seen a lot of great art. You know what you like. You know where you want to go with painting – but the brush doesn’t seem to get it. There’s an expression: the sooner you finish your first 100 paintings, the better. That expression acknowledges that gaining skill takes practice. You wouldn’t expect to play a Bach masterpiece after one piano lesson, and in the same way, making a great painting means putting in the brush time first. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and remember, even the most amazing famous painters were beginners once too. 
Pear2T

Holding the Brush

Cheryl
Here’s an easy way to loosen up your painting. Try holding your brush farther from the tip. Most of us instinctively hold a brush closer to the tip when we want to do tighter realistic rendering of details. However, you might not have experimented with holding it quite a bit farther back when wanting a freer interpretation. Holding a brush differently can help you let go of control in order to make a painting more fun and interesting. 
MoonT

The Thing About Crazy

Cheryl 4 Comments
There’s no denying that historically, some artists have been crazy. Poor tormented Vincent van Gogh is the most famous case. But really, I think that has given the rest of us artists a bad rap without good reason. Here’s my theory. In the west, traditionally logical thinking has been valued highly. Take A plus B and you get C. However, logical thinking is only type of thinking. Most artist spend time in what I call creative chaos mode. Since being creative by definition involves combining previously uncombined items in a new and useful or aesthetically pleasing way, creative chaos thinking does not go step by step. It’s thoughts such as ‘what would happen if I poured rubber into my waffle iron’. Which led to the invention of Nike shoes, and made a lot of money for the inventor. This kind of thinking tends to look really crazy to any observer, but can lead to creative work that could not be discovered in a more traditional manner. So don’t be too quick to label us artists as crazy. Creative chaos can be a very good thing – you should try it! 
Mnt5T

Mike Svob

Cheryl
Canadian artist Mike Svob was originally from Ontario. He now resides in B.C., which seems to have a strong call – beauty? tourist dollars? – for many of the finest Canadian artists. His colourful paintings breath with the beauty of the Canadian Rockies. I have taught art classes based one of his books and it was fun and challenging to work through some of these dynamic paintings! Here is his website gallery – Mike Svob – enjoy! (Find the link on my website, if reading this on facebook or elsewhere.)  
SchoT

The Most Terrible Words

Cheryl 1 Comment
There are 2 terrible words that strike me through in a way that no others can. They are: “too late”. We’ve all done it. Missed opportunities with those we care about. Missed chances for making the lives of others, and our own too, better. Yet I don’t want to be consumed by regret – that’s no way to live. So instead, I take hold of those “too late” memories and try to use them as high octane fuel to power my life in a better direction from now on. It’s a new day, every day. On a happier note, it’s not too late to follow your dreams. Have you always wanted to learn to play the piano? Why not now? Have you always wanted to learn to paint? You can do it. It’s never too late to unleash your unique creative potential, and make the world a richer place for us all.