Inspiration Fridays! How much do you allow your art to lead?

How much do you allow your art to lead?

Today I wanted to write about something I don’t have answers for. Just a lot more questions.

“The future must enter you long before it happens.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

I draw in inspiration and spit out paintings. A lot of my paintings have been aspirational in that way. Something amazing slaps me upside the head as beautiful and I try to make a painting out of It. A dark canal in Venice, a bar scene in Portland, a naked woman or landscape, a bull rider or yacht sailing on the Caribbean.

My older paintings smacked with a bit of cynicism. “They“ were over there. I was over here. My paintings reflected a feeling of impossible separation from a world that I admired. But what I’ve begun to notice, as my life moves forward, is a surprising connection. The world that I’ve been painting is becoming the world that I live in. The muse is leading me where I want to go.

 

Inspiration Fridays - "Infinity" - 36" x 72"- Acrylic on panel - Gabriel Mark Lipper

“Infinity” – 36″ x 72″- Acrylic on panel – Gabriel Mark Lipper

Today, as I hung up some of my paintings in our new home, I realized how much they were a reflection of my surroundings. But when I painted them, I had no idea that this is where I would end up.

Painting is a meditation, a searching out. Half of our choices if not more are subconscious. Even what we paint surprises us sometimes. In this way, the energy of the paintings is bigger than we are. We learn from them, and if we are open to it, they may even lead us toward our future.

Have you ever had an experience with your art like this?

Can Art be predictive?

How much do you allow your art to lead?

 

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Inspiration Fridays! Simple isn’t easy.

Simple isn’t easy.

In order to clear my head, I need to start with a white canvas.

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann

We are moving this weekend. Next week, I’ll be living in a new home for the first time in 23 years. Over those years, I have managed to accumulate a solid mountain of things that I don’t use. I’m not big on knickknacks, and I like to keep most of the surfaces in my home at least somewhat uncluttered. Still, nothing says “I’ve got a lot of crap.“ like the act of filling box after box with things I haven’t used and hardly recognize as mine (but they are mine).

 

8paint Inspiration Fridays Simple Isn't Easy

“Theo” – 18″ x 24″- oil on canvas- Gabriel Mark Lipper

This same phenomenon can happen in our studios too. The paintings pile up, and every time we go on vacation we come back with a new set of watercolors. (I rarely paint with watercolors these days, but I have four sets.)

All of this stuff takes up space. And believe it or not, it can take up space in our minds as well. Clutter is frenetic. All of that energy can be inspiring, but it can also become a weight around our necks.  It can shut us down.

Try this experiment on. Remove everything from your creative space that you are not going to use during the act of creating your next painting. I’m not talking about emptying the studio, but I am talking about clearing your creative corner of any physical distractions. Just you, your easel, the paints you will be using today. The brushes you will be using today. Perhaps a pencil or Poska pen, and, of course, your blank canvas. Start with nothing.

Let me know where you end up!

I can’t wait to read the stories of your Zen creations.

Is your space working for you?

 

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Inspiration Fridays! How do you come home to your art?

How do you come home to your art?

I got home last week and I’m still unpacking.

“I’m not usually where I think I am. It’s kind of spooky.” – Laurie Anderson

My trip’s end, punctuated by the sound of tires hitting the runway, is often the beginning of a new beginning.  What happens when I get back? My suitcase is heavy with memories. The seeds of new ideas are already beginning to sprout and wriggling in the darkness of my bag.

Returning from a long trip is both invigorating and overwhelming. We find ourselves caught between two worlds – the one we just discovered and left behind, and the one we call home. The studio, our sanctuary, now seems distant, like an old friend we’ve lost touch with. Blank canvases stare back at us, and the unfinished painting on the easel seems irrelevant.

There is a lot going on in our heads after a trip. Remembering that we deserve a bit of grace in this transition is important. Our symphony is only half written. There’s no need to rush toward the crescendo.

 

8paint Inspiration Fridays - How do you come home to your art?

“Between two Worlds” – 24’x24″- Mixed media on panel- Gabriel Mark Lipper

On display through July as part of my solo retrospective at the Grants Pass Museum of Art.
Tickets are still available for my live painting Demo tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd 1:00pm – 4:00pm – CLICK HERE

 

Still, there is some urgency in your return. Try going through your photos and sketches right away. Pick out your favorites, and organize them into a folder on your phone, print some out and place them where you can see them. Your experiences need to be acknowledged. Creativity thrives on curiosity.

Share your adventures, relive the best moments, but also, recognize that finding your old rhythms can be met with some resistance. Like lingering jet lag, resistance can feel like your creative luggage got stuck in customs. Embrace the discomfort, remember, the vivid, landscapes, unfamiliar sounds, and beautiful people. Remember how you felt when you were there.

Begin with small strokes, fragmented thoughts, experiment with new colors. Allow yourself the freedom to play without the weight of expectation. As you immerse yourself, you’ll begin to hear the familiar rhythms of your art welcoming you back home.

How do you come home?

 What are your techniques for re-entry?

What does your art look like after you travel?

 

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