Reaching Beyond What is Evident or Comfortable for Inspiration

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working with the tempera/ink over "lost" paintings technique that was taught in an excellent local workshop. While I have found the exercise to be compelling and productive, not all of my students have found it easy. I have seen their struggles to understand not only "what" to do, but "why," and if they do get those two steps, they still might not know what to do with the result.

That's why I wanted to show you this result, created today by one of my students who has come more recently to painting. Possibly her lesser experience has allowed her to proceed with fewer expectations of what the result "should" be.  I think there's a big lesson here for all of us.

"Enjoying Life" by Barbara L. Dean

Barbara's result is a huge departure from any of the other exercises I saw, either in the workshop or in my studio, with my own paintings or those of other students. "Enjoying Life" probably doesn't follow many of the composition guidelines I teach, but there is no denying that it is original and very expressive. Barbara saw creatures and faces in the colors, shapes, strokes and squiggles and she went with what she felt. Isn't that what all of us, as artists, are hoping for? To find inspiration and to allow ourselves the freedom to follow it......

Teaching New Tricks to Old Dogs

In this case, the old dog was a painting that had no life; colors were too subdued, character was just lost. I wanted to show my students how we might use a technique I learned in a recent workshop to give a "lost" painting new life. Wish I'd taken a photo of the before, you wouldn't believe the difference!

"Prickly Pear No. 342" (I must have painted yellow prickly pear blossoms at least that many times!

The "saving" technique included applying white tempera to areas of the painting, allowing it to dry, then drizzling black acrylic ink on top. After the ink was dry, I took it to the bathtub and, under running water, brushed (with a soft toothbrush) away most of the ink and the tempera. Then, while the painting was still damp, I dropped in more intense colors (my favorites - quin gold and quin rose!) and added more spines. Maybe not a masterpiece, but I think the technique saved something that belonged in the trash. See? You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Down and Dirty Rules of Composition

Mission at Sunset (incomplete)

I know, this is supposed to be a blog about inspiration and creativity. One of the biggest things I've learned from teaching in the past many years is that you can't really teach someone to be creative. Kind of like being able to lead a horse to water and being frustrated because he won't drink...

What I CAN teach, though, is what to do with the inspiration. Some recent students asked me for a "down and dirty" short course on composition. I came up with these three very simple "rules" for them. Although I firmly believe that all rules were made just to be broken, these guidelines can help the artist have a more successful composition. In order of importance, perhaps...?

1. ALWAYS plan your painting. Do sketches, cut shapes, etc. It's much easier to work out issues before you start to paint than it is to fix misunderstandings later.
2. Plan to place your main idea or center of interest on one of the four intersecting points, using the "rule of thirds" to determine "where."
3. Use "greatest difference" in your focal area -- greatest value change, most intense color, most different texture, most different shape, etc.

That's it. Simple. To keep them in mind while creating, I made an index card with all three points, printed on a bright color, laminated to protect from splatter.