Gravity Defying Art
These sculptures are certainly imaginative! “Gravity Defying Land Art by Cornelia Konrads” (Find link of homepage of cherylo.ca if reading this elsewhere.)
Category: Newsletter
Interruptions
Interruptions. They can be a plague. You want to not only get into the creative mode; you want to be able to stay there. Turning off or ignoring the phone is an obvious choice. What if you only have an hour to paint, and find yourself distracted by watching the clock? How about setting the stove timer instead to free up your concentration? In today’s hectic world it takes a deliberate effort to allow yourself some creative space. What things distract you when creating? Can you share some practical solutions you have found? Thanks!
Underwater Art
‘Wow’ is not a word that I use a lot – but this video is absolutely fantastic! Wow.” The Underwater Art of Jason DeCaires Taylor“. (Find link on my homepage blog.)
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?
The Best Painting
“The best painting comes out of compulsions and obsessions, out of deep love or hate, out of intellectual or emotional involvement with something that lies outside the painting itself.” Edward Betts
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.
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!
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”.
Picasso
A large collection of Picasso’s art is on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto until Aug 26/12. Article: “CBC News Arts & Entertainment” (Find link on the homepage of my website, if reading this on Facebook or elsewhere.)