Inspiration Fridays! Does your small canvas feel big?

Does your small canvas feel big?

Switching it up and moving toward larger canvases when you’re painting is always exciting. It offers a new scope for your artistic expression.

“A great artist can paint a great picture on a small canvas.” – Charles Dudley Warner

It also requires a subtle mental shift. Larger canvases are akin to expansive playgrounds. There’s plenty of room to run, but it’s easy to wear yourself out. Stretch out, move your whole body, experiment with shapes and color. Still, the way you utilize this space significantly impacts your artwork. A poor or lazy design that might be overlooked in a smaller work can become glaringly obvious when scaled up. Starting small might give you more room to play than you realize. And play is what gives art its juice!

 

Inspiration Fridays - Does your small canvas feel big?

You will love the Learning to See community. It’s an amazingly supportive and wonderful group of artists, and I am honored to be a part of it.

 

So how do we turn our pint-sized paintings into wall-sized wonders without losing their immediacy?

The act of supersizing often results in a lot of needless details, turning our painting into a trip to the Hometown Buffet instead of serving up the intended artistic feast. Expanding our vision to fit the big stage works better with some well-placed intention. We can’t just put our canvas on steroids and continue to paint small. Little brushes leave us stranded, telling our epic tales with tiny tools.

Instead, head back to the safety of a smaller canvas, but bring a bigger brush! There’s no room for noodling about and your every decision counts.  Can every brushstroke tell your story? Let the shapes you choose to make be bold and clear. A clean composition will make an incredible impression at any scale.

Starting a painting with broad shapes and dynamic arrangements will make the whole process smoother and easier. It sets up a strong foundation for your final artwork. Try experimenting with smaller canvases: 5″x7″ or 6″x8″, and then, use a one-inch brush. Now you can focus on the bigger picture, rather than getting lost in minutiae. Go for impact by using your design to tell the story instead of relying on your subject. One way to achieve this is by simplifying your paintings. Break them down into a handful of major shapes and colors. This approach can help you produce bold, captivating pieces that truly resonate with viewers.

Have you tried painting big little paintings?

What’s the simplest way to tell your story?

Does your small canvas feel big?

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Inspiration Fridays! Do Your Dreams Pay Rent?

Do Your Dreams Pay Rent?

I can’t begin to count the times, that I have been caught acting as both the host and guest of honor at my own pity party. The venue? Generally, it’s a roller-coaster. Each high and low, seemingly both brand new and completely insurmountable. But then the ride stops, I get off, and begin to reflect on why I got on in the first place.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been” – Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot)

The seeds of these pity parties are generally rooted in some sort of fabricated expectation. “I should own my own island by now!” or “Without a solo show in New York, my art is meaningless!” or “I shouldn’t be this sore, I haven’t even left the house today!” Tea is served, and tensions quickly escalate. Before I realize it, I’ve spiraled into hopelessness and despair, and all this before the biscuits have even cooled.

Pass the lemon marmalade. I like my biscuits bitter.

I’m not sure about the island, I don’t even think I want one. New York is still on the table if I’m willing to take the steps needed to get there. And I clearly need to stretch and get out of the house.

 

8paint Inspiration Fridays Do Your Dreams Pay Rent

American Dream – Gabriel Mark Lipper – 36″x108″ – oil on three panels

We all have dreams. They live with us like roommates. Some of whom we’d love to stay up with late-night, arguing the questionable merits of tequila and Gauguin. While others are better sealed off in their rooms with a headset and some video games.

When our dreams inevitably move out, will we chase them down and propose, happily giving our lives away to the thrill of following what we love? Or instead, sell off their things on Craigslist and change the locks. Dreams are enchanting and beautiful. They fill us with hope and curiosity. But there’s a downside too. What if they never move out? What if they stay on with us forever, but only as fantasy?

What makes the island untenable, a show in New York debatable, and a brisk walk to the store so doable? The amount of steps needed to get there. They’ve all arrived from the inspired carnival of our psyche and live rent-free in our heads until we decide whether or not to act. It’s this decision to act that buys the ticket.

Even the smallest steps toward our dreams create momentum. That creative momentum is the gift that comes with our art and that gift is unstoppable. It’s important to recognize that there’s no need to wait for the perfect moment or a new beginning; Now is a good time to start. And then? Don’t stop.

Have you proposed to your dreams?

Are you saving up for the ring?

What daily steps do you take to make sure you arrive?

Do Your Dreams Pay Rent?

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Inspiration Fridays! Have you jumped yet?

Have you jumped yet?

I stared out across the underside of the wobbly wing of a well-loved Cessna Skylane. The wind whipped at my face and pulled my clothes tight across my chest. I made peace with the fact that I wasn’t going to land in this plane.

“Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take risks.” – Mark Rothko

Sometimes you just have to jump.

 

8paint Inspiration Fridays Have you jumped yet?

Hope – Gabriel Mark Lipper – oil on panel – 48″x24″ 

The earth spun above and below me. I was a rag doll in the sky. Then, I was back in my body and my breath caught up. Time slowed, and in that weightless space, my fear dissolved into awe. The world below me looked new and it was coming at me fast.

The shift that takes place when we give ourselves permission to leap opens us up to infinite possibilities.

Art is all about that leap. When you step into the unknown trust that you’ll land safely. That trust is where greatness lives. Your art comes with a parachute.

What are you risking when you create?

Are you afraid of art?

Have you jumped yet?

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