Finding Inspiration

The last few days have been about finding inspiration for a work. Sometimes it is so difficult to find ideas when you have an internal voice saying that your work is not valid and therefore it will do no good to search for new material. Van Gogh said that if someone has doubts about their validity as an artist, the solution is to start a painting. That seems like good advice. I did a still life of shells, starfish and driftwood, rendered in pencil. It was a success, but there is nothing around the studio for another work.
I picked up an "American Artist" publication about artists studios. A great magazine. I think thar one reason that I started drawing was the joy I got from viewing other artists spaces and the materials they use. When I was a kid I remember going to an art-supply store and seeing pastels for the first time. I was amazed at the color of each pastel stick. The color red especially spoke to me. I wanted to see how these worked, I had no idea how artists created their work, and it would be a long time before I used pastels.
I have a hard time continuing this blog. As far as I know no one even visits it, so why bother? What is my motivation for continuing? I had to go out yesterday to visit a support group of others who share my disability. I went there, but could not get out of the car. Part of my reluctance about creating is that I create in isolation. And it is easy to get lost in the idea that none of this matters. No one cares if I create or not. Why bother? Isolation can create feelings of alienation and depression that are hard to contest when alone. All that one can do to escape feelings is to get outside. The dog needs to go out, so I will sign off. Until later.
All that one can d

Countdown

I noticed that another artist did self-portraits every day on her blog. What a great idea. I can't imagine doing this, there is just not that much discipline in me. I probably do one work a week. These are five by seven inches and eight by ten inches. I do more work in the winter and fall. Spring is my favorite season and I started a ritual that makes winter go a little more quickly. I do a countdown, counting down the days 'til Spring. Today there is one hundred and twenty-three days left 'til the first day of Spring. To me once I am below a hundred days things begin to look a little more optimistic. Perhaps it is a strange ritual, but it gives me hope.

Creativity for Life

There has been little creativity at home the last couple of weeks and no new works are in progress. What do "ordinary people" do to get the creative juices flowing? I did a bunch of bookmarks to just keep busy and this was fun. These are just little inspirational sayings of watercolor and pen and ink. I did about 10-12 of them and though I don't consider them art per se they do make me feel as if the creative juices are flowing.