I copied this title from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer over at
Balzer Designs. Julie is a very talented artist. Her blog is packed with photos, how-tos, and just tons on inspiration!
Her latest post is talks about some ART things she knows.. this was my reply (with a little more detail added here).
1. Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. Most often these days, I read a sentence or hear a line to a song and think about an image that would go with it. I find that the colors and font used in magazines and advertising can be quite good too- this month's
Better Homes and Gardens used teal, orange, coral, and aqua. Check out new catalogs-
West End has a good one out filled with great images that could be the base for a piece.
2. Sometimes just puttering, sorting, weeding out stuff in the studio is enough to keep me going. I have tons of stuff in mys studio. I am sure you're like me,
hoarding grabbing and saving all sorts of things to use "sometime." I have so much to share, and recently sent out a bunch of RAKs over at Paper Digital Arts. I'm offering
boxes of all sizes for sale- just email me.
3. Art becomes all I can think about if I haven't been able to get any time in (like now- full on house renos to sell the house). It's a bit obsessive, actually. The problem is, I have so much to do in the house that I can't let myself go spend a day in the studio. I feel guilty. Or, I go in and just stare... hence #2. I dream about big canvases, paint, ink. Stuff. I am not a trained artist, which slows me down sometimes, because I don't have the know-how to get the stuff in my head
out into a concrete piece.
4. A kids area in my studio, with the ability to use almost anything as long as they ask first, is key to a. getting anything done, and b. inspiring the artist in them.
This is Adam, who is working on his own paitning after being inspired by my sister-in-law's painting that now lives with me (SCORE!!!). He looked at it and said- "Mom, I think I have to copy Aunt Jose's painting." How COOL is that??
5. The process is important, and it's OK to throw stuff out if I don't like it. That's a tough one. I have worked hard on some things, then chucked them! It's OK! You can do it too.
So, what are your 5 truths??
hugs, Lee
