The Power Of Simplicity & Constraint In Art There’s power and potency in working with simplicity and constraint in your art Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication – Leonardo Da Vinci Multum Non Multa There’s a Latin phrase multum non multa which translates to much, not many. In employing much, not many in your art, you go deep rather than wide. You explore […]
The Hero’s Journey & Art
The Hero’s Journey & Art Our lives are a hero’s journey of moving from the known to the unknown and returning back again, transformed. As artists, we continually step into the unknown and evolve our work. We search and find our way, lose and find ourselves in our paintings and explore and experiment on our […]
The Crossroads Of Conflicting Voices In Your Art
I want to share with you some thoughts about how working with and finding yourself in unknown territory in your art can open you up to deeper experimentation.At first, when you try something unfamiliar, it can feel scary and intimidating. You may feel frustrated because you don’t know exactly what to do. Your usual marks, moves and […]
The Holy Grail of Creating
There’s a secret to fulfilling your destiny as an artist To express yourself in your art, to search for your truth, you must first master yourself – a never-ending wrestling match with the dark angels of self doubt. It’s similar to the biblical story of Jacob wrestling all night until daybreak with an angel by […]
How To Get Unstuck In Your Abstract Paintings
I am finding ‘what to do next very challenging These are the words one artist I work with used to describe one of the biggest challenges most artists face. As artists, we face this problem of how to move past feeling stuck in abstract painting, in the middle of the painting, each time we […]
How To Finish Abstract Paintings
How Do You Know When Your Abstract Painting Is Finished? The question of how to finish abstract paintings and how to know when it’s finished is a pervasive one for artists. This question is for me the Gordian knot of painting. Just as with the Gordian knot…you’re not going to untie it by following […]
Reflections On Light In Art & Life
Light in art is a concept that threads through our experience as artists as well as throughout our lives from the moment of birth I’ve been reflecting on an experience that reflects the importance and centrality of light in our lives as artists. Here’s my story. My solo art exhibition of twenty five large […]
Creativity: Mind Mapping & Word Boards
Here’s an exercise and thought experiment for you: If you were to come up with words that best describe your experience of creating, what would they be? Here are some of mine: Experimentation, improvisation, exploratory studies, ineffable, mysterious, unknown, not knowing, what if?, aliveness, play, uncertain, surprise, discovery, innovative, potent, idiosyncratic, wonder, wondrous, radical, imagination, […]
Color Secrets Of The Pros In Abstract Painting
An artist asked me recently about color secrets in abstract painting and how I think about and work with color. Color is an enormous topic and one you can spend a lifetime exploring and never reach the end of it! In the beginning of my painting journey, I couldn’t wait to get into my studio and […]
How To Create Your Deepest Abstract Art
STUDIO INSPIRATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF “HOLDING ONTO YOURSELF” AS AN ARTIST One of our wonderful artists in The Artist’s Journey courses tells the story of creating wondrous paintings and yet being asked by another artist why she added scribbles to the painting. The implication being that the scribbles bothered the inquiring artist. Our fellow journeyer also recalls […]