A Secret...

A secret I am sharing

This month’s blog is about how and where ideas can come from.
Never under estimate something that attracts your eye. Awhile back, I noticed that something on my amazingly messing work desk kept drawing my attention.
I had piled up a number of small sketches and paintings randomly all over my desk.
The spot that I noticed when ever I walked by was a small painting that was partly covered an ink line drawing. I knew it looked interesting but could not figure out why. After looking at it several times, I just decided to do a quick ink and watercolor of the small pile. What resulted was an abstract looking landscape that I decided to work into a completed painting.
Going with the abstract landscape idea, several more small watercolors developed.
From this, I learned a few things:

1. If something attracts your visual attention, work with it even if it is not logical to start with. The creative side of an artist mind can find a way to make it work.

2. Take a new idea or direction and do a series from it. It is like completing a thought and is very rewarding.

3. Give your self-permission to try something new and unexpected.

4. If a design looks interesting, try investigating it with a limited number of colors focusing on the lights and darks to work the design toward a finish.

5. Don’t second guess, go with an idea, and let the creative side of you mind do the work not the logical side.

6. It is OK to be messy….really like this one ;)

more paintings from that one original idea:


and a few ideas in wait, another pile of scraps, leaves on table, and a photo shop work up of one of the paintings, think this will keep me busy for a while. Now go and see what you can find.