Inspiration

Golden Moment

Oil on linen

20 x 24

Available

It is difficult for me to understand artists who have "creativity" blocks.  They can't think of anything they want to paint.  I am sure this must happen to some people once in a while sort of like writer's block?  I am not one of those people.  As part of my ADD, I can get over-stimulated with visual images.  I can see paintings nearly every place I look.  I am constantly seeing compositions and thinking about how I would paint something.  I name colors in my head and how to mix them.  I am not a good traveling companion.  Instead of navigating, I am looking out the window and painting in my head.  Do other artists do this?  Surely some do! 

So how do you become inspired to actually go from looking at something or seeing something in your head to putting in down on canvas?  First, I think of painting as a visual language.  What is it you want to communicate to others?  You will not be standing next to that painting to explain it, what is it you want to say about the subject?  It is about the color scheme, the mood, the atmosphere, or the light?  Is it the tilt of someones head, the expression of a child, the texture of a cloth?  Then choose your tools:  the medium, the colors, the brushstrokes.  In my recent workshop "All About Color" one student said, "I have learned to Think More and Paint Less."  Hmmm, perhaps that is something we all need to do.  Like thinking before speaking.  Make your comments count.  Your inspiration is waiting!

This weekend, March 23 - 25, I will be painting en plein air at Walt Disneyworld's Flower and Garden Festival 2012.  It takes place in Epcot every spring and I am always so thrilled to take part.  I will be in "Italy".  This is my seventh year to be invited?  I'll be posting on my FB page: DurindaCheek and on my Fan Page:  Durinda'sFineArtFanPage so hope you can join me and see my inspirations for this week!

Ciao for now, ya'll!

Durinda

Loose Women

Enchanted

Oil on museum quality board

6 x 6

(My first painting at home since the workshop, what do you think?)

With Leslie Saeta

Dreama T Perry

The Rowdy Corner of Southern Gals, minus Karen taking the shot

What better place to encounter loose women than Buckhead in Atlanta for a week?  I was part of Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop.  Leslie and Dreama are two of the Daily Painters.  Leslie paints with a palette knife and Dreama works in transparent oils.  Both very different styles and especially different from mine.  What did I want to learn?  To loosen up of course!  I am wanting my oil paintings to look more like my watercolors.  I know that when I paint with watercolors, I am confident and just go for it!  I put colors where I see them and not where they necessarily are.  I can swish and splatter and work wet-in-wet.  I have felt that my oils lacked that looseness, that confident brushstroke, that surprise of color.  These two gals were about as loose as you can get, fast and furious, brave and confident.  I also found out that painting with a palette knife takes some practice.  I wasn't sure if I could hold my mouth right to get those strokes I wanted.  The benefits of knife painting?  No brush cleanup, soft edges, textured paint, clean color.  So whether or not I pursue either of the gals' styles in painting, I have told myself, "I can do this!  I can mix color, put it on, and leave it alone."  It was fun being a student for a week, observing how they each had their style of teaching, being around artists I knew already and meeting new artist friends.  Now, if you will excuse me, I have some paintings to knock out in the next couple of hours.

Paint Happy!

Durinda