Avenues of Inspiring the Creative Mind

For me there are several levels of inspiration and creativity. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Visual Cues

 The first and simplest way I am inspired is in the moment. Although I don’t often paint Plein air, this is the kind of inspiration that lends itself to painting from life. 

You are inspired with a place or object. You paint from life or from a photograph, in this process you can simplify the image you see, exaggerate certain aspects you need to convey or attempt ultra realism. 

The small details are captured often without my knowledge. Subconsciously I often interpret the scene with many intangible elements that are rendered with varying degrees of detail depending on intent or even level of concentration. 

A Concept from Memory or an Idea from Visual Recall

 The next inspiration is that which does exist, only not necessarily in one place. Different pieces of many different scenes are assembled to capture an feeling. This process is usually a snapshot in the mind that adds multiple images. 

I will use photos for details but much of the details are often absent, the subtle nuances of the scene can often be overlooked in this kind of painting but often this allows for the viewer to see what the artist intends without the extraneous details distracting. 

Surreal Imaging

 The next concept is from a feeling or imagined place. I see places in dreams. Not all of the image is often discerned in the initial view. This particular image can take years to develop. 

This kind of painting can sits on the easel half done for several periods of work and often the idea never makes it past a sketch. All three ways I paint have positives and negatives and just like writing, sometimes I can paint one way and other times I can’t even paint from life. 

Creativity is a very mystical thing for me, it’s the intangible feelings and aspects that are most rewarding for me as an artist.