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FritT

Emerging

I’ve always thought it an odd phrase – “Emerging Artist.” It brings to mind B rated horror movies with some creature rising out of the mud and struggling onto land. And how do you know when you are fully emerged? It’s not when people can see your toes. That would be summer when we switch to wearing sandals. What do you think? 
Pensive250

One Thing to Know to be More Creative

They call it “incubation”. This is an often crucial stage in any creative process. It is means allowing time for your subconscious to work on a solution for your latest creative conundrum. Sleep on it as they say – figuratively or literally. Go do something else. Let your mind relax, daydream. Many very creative and highly successful people have their most profound thoughts and solutions happen this way. As diverse a group as: John Cleese, while writing comedy sketches for Faulty Towers, Henri Poincare, who pioneered discoveries in mathematics, physics, and engineering in the late 1800’s, and the famous inventor Thomas Edison, – all were aware of the importance of incubation time in order to be more creative. In order to tap into the subconscious mind, Edison would work hard on a problem, and then purposely doze off in a chair holding a ball bearing in each hand. On the floor below each hand was a tin plate. When he fell asleep and the noise woke him, he quickly jotted down any new thoughts. Many of his problems with inventions were solved this way. Considering that only a tiny amount of our daily input is processed consciously, it makes tremendous sense to tap into the huge resources available in our unconscious thought. 
BettsIceFall

Edward Betts

“Ice Falls” by Edward H. Betts Here’s a link to some info and art of one of my favourite artists – “Edward H. Betts – (1920-2008)” His work is quite abstract, yet often hints at landscape. As you will see from the art on the linked page, he gets away with amazingly wild colour use. Betts worked in both watercolour and acrylic paint. His book “Masterclass in Watermedia” is a classic that was one of my earliest inspirations as a beginning artist. I still love his work today! 
Tree4T

Done

“A painting is never finished, it simply stops in interesting places.” Paul Gardner (thanks @iTweetArt) If I could give just one tip about how to decide when to stop working on a painting, I would say, stand back from it often and consider it from a distance. Viewing your work from only a few inches away can mean that you miss something beautiful and interesting – which may be the perfect time to say, “done”. 
SheSellsT200

Thick & Thin

Lately I’ve been playing with combining heavier body acrylics with fluid acrylics. This can be done in any order. You can have a wet layer of fluid acrylics on the canvas, and then use a brush or better yet a palette knife to smear thicker acrylics into this. Or, you can have the thicker paint down first, and then pour the fluid acrylics on top and spray them to get them moving. These methods make colours and textures that are great fun to work with. 
Man3T

Art is a Language

Not as specific in conveying a message as words can be, art is none-the-less a language. What is profound about the language of art is that in bypassing words, it often reaches straight for the heart. Music touches the soul and speaks to mood so profoundly that words are often not necessary. With painting, colour in particular is considered very emotional and personal, but so are the many other aspects of a composition. It’s this personal side of the art language that makes it so diverse, both in expression and in how it is received. What one person loves in art, another person doesn’t like at all. I think of the art language as a celebration of diversity. Each artist brings their unique vision and expression. Each viewer or listener brings their unique response to this expression. And as with all languages, it takes time and perseverance to develop a compelling voice.