10/01/2010

Creative development

Many artists either have blocks or periods when they don't or can't work at their craft. Today's post will focus on how 4 different artists deal with these challenges and their personal muses or inspirations.

Estella from Star of the East checks in her drawers full of materials for guaranteed results to any creative blocks. She knows that by manipulating and matching the materials, the end result will often be surprising and completely different, "but it did trigger me to create something." Her highly original jewelry is proof.

































Laura from Blue Terracotta has preferred rituals when she begins work on her wonderful mosaics and sculptures; "For me, ideas flow when I do what I enjoy, like reading or watching birds from my window, orvisiting a museum. It's not about copying, just that these activities spark creative ideas." She mentions a NY Times article on the endangered northern spotted owl.

"The journalist described it as looking like it was made from Harris tweed. I love making fabric birds, so I thought about starting with an interesting fabric, one that looked like an owl's feathers. I looked for vintage Harris tweed, and some other wools and found a fun vintage plum colored herringbone. Whoever heard of a plum herringbone owl? Maybe no one, but my owls will be warm this winter."



















Laura also reads the blog Morbid Anatomy that served as inspiration for her lively Memento Mori piece.














Annette from Dragon House of Yuen collects images for her many scrapbooks and tiny plastic animals as inspiration for her marvelous soft sculptures. She abstracts each animal's scale to create their stuffed counterparts.





























She says, "I would spend many hours on the floor with my scraps all around me. They'd be sorted into colors and I would assemble images to compliment each other, and on other pages I would tell a story..."
Annette uses anything that's printed; advertising, postcards, tea bag packets, perfume sample spray sheets...


My own way to get beyond a block is to start by rummaging through my library of art books to not only discover other artists' processes, but to also be inundated by beauty and/or ideas. I'm inspired by reading artists' biographies and the struggles and successes that they experience.

















I also watch videos on artists, in which they discuss their own approaches and how they work. One of the best series was created by a former NY gallery owner, Bill Maynes. I recently met an artist, James Lourie, by posting on another art critic's blog. He has a wealth of artist videos stored on his own site. These are a great jumping off point to stimulate a stagnated creative impulse.
One artist in the videos, Grace Hartigan, said that painting creates ideas that then keeps the ideas flowing. I like that.



And I keep all my materials close by and ready - the easel stays set up with dropcloth in place, my box of paints open.

Art really is like everything else; practice makes better. But finding inspiration in everyday things can also create a life long discipline that encourages continual creativity.



10 comments:

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

I love reading how others get over their blocks...

Viktoria, you have a beautiful studio! Thanks for sharing!

3 squares said...

great inspirations! thanks for a most interesting post.

Waterrose said...

thanks for an insight to curing creative block.

StaroftheEast said...

Wonderful post!
So nice to see how others get inspired!
Thanks so much Viktoria for posting this!

Unknown said...

Great article! I love hearing how other people get inspired. Wonderful behind the scene pictures as well.

Victoria Webb said...

It was really fun to see how other members find their own inspiration -

I hope this can become an ongoing series to give us glimpses of more fabulous artists in our midst!

Victoria

Jill said...

Wow, a fascinating and inspiring read, Victoria. Well done. A continuing series sounds like a marvelous idea!

belinda marshall said...

i find it interesting that going through the initial processes of working is the cure to the block. kind of taking it slowly and isolating what it is that we love!
great article :)

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing so much information, inspiration and pictures from fellow artists!

BlueTerracotta said...

I love reading about and seeing the process that these artists go through! I wish I had a studio like yours, Victoria! Thank you for this wonderful article!