Coloring Outside the Lines...

When creating, sometimes we need to stretch and push ourselves outside all those "trite boxes" and "comfort zones".

I started work with another artist on a book project (hence the strange shape of this work). In order to achieve what looks like one combined image, but is in actuality 2 separate portraits, I went to Kinkos and did a color copy of the man's portrait on transparency and then overlaid the transparency on the female portrait.

The male had a background color in the yellow spectrum and the female had one in the teal/blue range. Then when I overlaid the male on the female, this amazing mix of colors and the magical middle point of the portrait where their faces almost line up happened.

Had I done two basic portraits for the book project and not been inspired to try the transparency experiment, this would not exist. Now whether its a viable piece of art that is a topic for another day. But it IS a great opportunity to build new techniques and ideas into my creative process.

What new techniques or experiments are you going to try?

(Please refer to my last post, that its only paper and some pigment... the worst thing that can happen is that you waste a piece of paper and learn great lessons in the process).

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The first stone was just tried in the spirit of experimentation. The opening of the stone was far more interesting than the drawing that I had done on it. -Andy Goldsworthy

Contagious Client Enthusiasm....

I found the past week that after the ramp up to the show, and the great turnout for the show, that I was going thru "post-show blues."

I do have several commissions lined up and one is due and I am completing the work. I emailed the client to ask if I can hang the work and look at it for a couple of week. It gives me a chance to step back and observe the work. Sometimes I find small things to rework and others I just enjoy the work.

The response I got in my email box was positively jubilant. She explained how excited she was and also how much she'd been talking about me and the portrait of her dog Buck, and as I read how excited she was for the work and my art, I found that my blues were lifting and her enthusiasm for the work transferred to me.

Not only was one email from an excited client a great way to shake off the blues, but it put creative wind back in my sails.... If you are an art lover, please send an email to an artist that you really enjoy and let them know. Even if you aren't a patron, there is no better feeling (for me at least) to have people I don't know give me positive feedback about my work... (and thank you to all of you that have done that).

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“Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.” Bo Bennett