". . . a brush with nature"

Take time to be aware…take time to notice what’s around you … then your creativity will start to flow. 
This is a great piece of advice that I recently read somewhere and would like to share with you.

To that end, all I have to do is study (and enjoy) the forest around me as I walk between our home and my studio each day.

 I love ravens. They are everywhere around us in our woods…great numbers of them flying through the trees and gathering as groups on the forest floor. They are beautiful, fascinating to watch, very large and certainly loud. They are extremely intelligent beings and one of the many creatures of the forest I feel compelled to paint.

Recently I completed several paintings featuring the ravens from our woods. One, in particular, was jointly inspired by the birds themselves and the beautiful poppies growing beside my studio. I’ve always loved poppies, too, so my husband planted some for me a few years back. They are always a joy to see standing bright and tall by my studio door.

I knew the combination of the flowers and bird would be powerful, both in concept and color. I chose to set everything against an extremely dark background, which I believe increases the dramatic effect of this painting. I am also pleased with the movement within the composition. . . the way the blooms of the poppies and the pods seem to encircle and “dance” with my raven. 

Another artist, upon viewing this painting, commented, “Cool with the use of close values… I loved how it pulled me in searching for more. Great job.”

When references “speak” to you . . . listen.

Photo references can be a great tool for an artist, but in my opinion, they should never be the end all source for the work you are creating. Photo references, as the term implies, should be used as reference material only. 

Photos help me remember time and place or a special animal or face that I might want to use in a painting sometime in the future. Often along with a quick sketch (and sometimes notes) the pictures are “filed” away to be revisited weeks, months or even years later finally to be used in my painting.  (Thank goodness the filing system is now digital and much simplified for me!) 

When looking at your photos please remember that it was something quite specific that first captured your interest. Whether it was an expression on a face, the sight of a bird in flight, the beauty of a fresh cut bloom from your garden or the way sunlight washed across a stark landscape  . . . it was still something very specific that grabbed your attention. It was NOT all the background “noise” that you heard calling out to you. 

Last summer I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph several children (with their parents’ blessings) at a family gathering. These photos were all taken indoors. Finally, in December, I started work on my first piece from this series of reference photos.

Reference photo is my own.

Thank you to Shane and Kim Devlin for allowing me to use their daughter as my model.

I was captivated by the look of wonder on this child’s face. She “spoke” to me and I “listened”. Even though the surroundings in the photograph are indoors, she transported me to another time and place. I saw (and felt) the wonder of a child experiencing the magic of dandelions gone to seed. I remembered the fun I had as a small girl blowing on a dandelion and watching the seeds (or perhaps fairies) float upwards into the heavens. I was transported once again back to a time of magic and wonder. And, of course, working on a summer piece in the middle of winter was a freeing experience, as well.

(Work is currently on my drawing board.)

Thank you to Joel Lee Brown, model, and to Dustin, owner of Masonville Mercantile, for allowing me use of the photo.

When I received permission from both the subject and photographer to paint from this photo I was thrilled. It captured my imagination. I “listened” for months. Finally, I heard the story this photo wanted me to tell. I cropped the photo significantly and focused more tightly on the downturned face and sun-drenched hat of the subject. I believe that adding the historical detail of the background completes the story this photo wanted to share.

Even an inanimate object can have a story to share if you only “listen”. This tiny bird nest was beautifully intact when I first discovered it. More often than not paintings of nests include baby birds or eggs, but this photo told me a different tale. I “listened” and heard a story of a family long grown and gone. It became the story of “What’s Left Behind”.

Photos should serve only as a starting point for the story you want to tell. If you remember what first “spoke” to you about the person, place or thing you photographed and then “listen” quietly to what it has to say . . . oh, the stories you will have to tell!

I am sure every one of us has experienced a dripping faucet at one time in our lives. At first you are only slightly aware of it, occasionally thinking to yourself that you are going to have to do “something” about that “soon.” Time marches on, days pass and weeks turn into months. During the daytime the dripping of the faucet is hardly noticed as the sounds of everyday living silence the tiny drip, drip, drip in the background. You are aware that the drip is still there, but it seems so easy to ignore as you move through your days addressing the more pressing tasks at hand.

The dripping faucet at night is quite a different situation. When the house is still, bereft of conversation, activity and the rest of life’s soundtrack, it is much more difficult to ignore the incessant dripping of the faucet. As you lie there in the dark the sound of each drop becomes louder and louder eventually reaching the crescendo of a kettledrum roll.

Creative ideas are a lot like a dripping faucet. They should not be ignored. As young children we all have a desire to create – to be artistic – to sing – to dance. As children we are able to do so with abandon. But as we grow we unfortunately lose that abandon and become swallowed up by the expectations of “grown-up” life. The responsibilities of adulthood consume us. We no longer listen to our creative voice, our “drippy faucet.”

Creativity still remains within each of us. It lingers there in the background waiting to be heard once again. Ignored for the most part during daylight hours it speaks more insistently under the cover of night. A mind too busy to fall asleep is often filled with what was not accomplished during the day, but there in the background are tiny notions of what you would like to do, as well. Those ideas are the seeds of creativity. They are your “dripping faucet.” Listen to it. It’s telling you to allow yourself time again to do something creative - to write, finger paint, sing or “dance like nobody’s watching.” * Pencil in some play time. By allowing your creative side to emerge again you will become a happier, healthier and certainly more well-rounded individual. Fix the faucet by letting your creativity flow.

*1987 “Come from the Heart” composed by Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh - which includes the following lyrics:

“You’ve got to sing like you don’t need the money
Love like you’ll never get hurt
You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watchin’
It’s gotta come from the heart if you want it to work.”

How good are you at accepting inspiration as it comes? Are you missing inspiring moments that present themselves to you because you are too busy looking for inspiration in what you consider a more “traditional” way? We have all heard about someone else having a “flash of inspiration,” but are you missing yours because you are trying too hard to search out that elusive spark of creativity? Perhaps you are. Inspiration is all around us if we only slow down enough to see it . . . to hear it . . . to feel it.

You don’t have to drive far afield to discover beauty in the landscape. Slow down to discover that shimmering brook you pass daily or a lovely field of sunflowers just off the highway. They’ve popped up every summer for years. What about the faces of the “faceless” street people you pass each day in the city? Such a story to tell there. What about the common everyday scenes of people at work or children at play? The inspiration is there . . . all around you. Just take the time to “see” it.

"How Sweet It Was"

Sometimes inspiration can even come when you have your eyes closed. Have you ever really “listened” to your dreams, a favorite song or familiar phrase? Some of my best work (and easiest to paint) came from what I dreamed about the night before. Perhaps you have heard someone say, “How sweet it is!” I associate that with Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), but it has become part of the American vernacular. That phrase (and an upcoming show opportunity) became the immediate creative motivation for my recent painting, “How Sweet It Was.” As you can see, the motivational spark can come from any direction if you only choose to sit quietly and “listen.”

"A Good Day's Work"

In the March issue of my newsletter I spoke about what inspired me to paint “A Good Day’s Work.” It was neither something I saw or heard, but rather how I was feeling about the winter weather lingering on and how I wanted to feel. Working on that painting was cathartic. I am so glad I took the time to “feel” the emotions I was experiencing about winter (even though they were somewhat negative) and allowed them to inspire me to create a painting I am very pleased with. Had I not been accepting of this admittedly unusual path of inspiration this piece would have never been painted.

Allow yourself to relax and find the inspiration in front of you. Then accept it with an open heart and mind. I believe you will surprise yourself with all you discover!