Inspiration Fridays! Unanswered Questions About Art

Unanswered Questions About Art

Today I will be standing in front of a crowd of people at the Grants Pass Museum of Art (First Friday, 5:30pm). I’m showing a selection of works painted over the last 15 years of my life.

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

It’s a retrospective of sorts, and I have to admit that the organizing and delivery of this show has caused me to begin looking at my work, and even myself a little bit differently.

Questions come up. My big takeaway has been that I don’t have many of the answers yet. So I thought I would throw some of these questions out to you. You are an artist, or maybe you’re not sure yet. I don’t know if we’re ever sure. Why is art important to you? Tell me a little about yourself.

  • What is it about the artistic process that keeps you coming back?
  • What do you hope to gain from your art?
  • How has art shaped your life?
  • Why does art matter to you?
  • How does it feel for you to be an artist?
  • How does it feel to create art?
  • Beyond the art itself, what do you get back when you create?
  • How does it shape who you are being in the world?

 

Come see Prometheus - oil on linen - 72”x 60” - at the Grants Pass Museum of Art

Come see Prometheus – oil on linen – 72”x 60” – at the Grants Pass Museum of Art

  • What is missing for you in this creative process?
  • Are there tools that you feel that you lack?
  • Do you feel seen?
  • Do you feel understood?
  • Does the idea of creating art stop you or inspire you?
  • Do the people in your life encourage your creativity or dismiss it?
  • What gets in the way of your creativity?
  • Are there ideas that continue to come up for you?
  • Have you acted on those ideas?
  • What stops you from taking action?
  • How would your life look without art?
  • What is the cost of not doing your art?
  • Is your art a curiosity or an obsession?
  • If I were to check in with you in a year, what would you like to see more of in your art?
  • What gives you pleasure and joy?

My career up to this point has been about the relationship I have with my painting. I paint what inspires me, what I hunger for, and sometimes, what I don’t understand. I have been fortunate enough to connect with others along the way who are likewise inspired.

Art is an incredible gift, but it needs to be honored and nurtured. It’s important for us to continually reevaluate our motivations. It’s good to ask honest questions about why we are doing what we are doing.

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Inspiration Fridays! What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Painting, for many of us, is deeply meditative. It’s an opportunity to slow down, to immerse ourselves in an ever changing sea of colors and forms.

“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands.” – Leonardo da Vinci

The walls of Enclāve Studios are humming with energy as I prepare for my solo show at the Grants Pass Museum of Art. A few finishing touches, several new frames, and the work will be ready. It’s a bit of a retrospective and being surrounded by so many of my paintings (both new and old) finds me revisiting some under-discussed but never the less captivating ideas.  The grand confluence of art, brain function, and creativity.

Today, we’ll be swapping brushes for neurons and color palettes for synapses. Let’s dive headfirst into a mad and fascinating world where the arts meet the sciences.

I recently stumbled onto an interesting study by a Dr. Anne Bolwerk in Germany. She and her kolleginnen have shown that the act of creating art ignites a dialog between different parts of our brains. When we paint, it seems that we’re actually throwing a networking party in our heads! All of those lonely neurons finally get to mingle and chat. This subconscious  socialization leads to more resilience to stress. The idea that creating art empowers and defends us against the pressures and demands of a tone deaf world really resonates with me. I’ve experienced it and I’m grateful.

8paint Inspiration Fridays 8paint Blog What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Getting ready for my retrospective at the Grants Pass Museum of Art

Sometimes the only answer to a chaotic schedule is to lose ourselves briefly in a world of our own creation. Recharge. If we let it, each brushstroke can  bring us closer to that ever elusive state of peace and clarity. This artistic meditation is a soothing balm for our minds. It reduces stress, enhances our attention span, and improves memory. Every painting we create can be another step towards tranquility.

It’s not just the stroke of the brush, but our memory of each color, our attention to detail, the feel of the brush in our hands. The process is all consuming. It’s visceral. Like a workout for our brains.

It may be time to put down the crossword and pick up a brush! Another study from the Mayo Clinic echoed these same ideas. Artists who regularly engaged with their craft had a lower risk of cognitive disorders in their later years. This was nice for me to read because many of my early years were filled with cognitive disorder. It’s 8Paint for a reason, people!

Each decision that we make about color or form not only adds to the richness of our canvas but evidently, to the health and resilience of our brain as well. The joy available to us when painting is transformational. The benefits it brings to our mind, our body, and (if we haven’t lost track of it) our soul, cannot be overstated.

Keep painting, and if you still can, remember that life is magic.

Paint tuff

Have you discovered the peace that Painting offers?

What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

 

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Inspiration Fridays! Do you fearlessly pursue your desires?

Do you fearlessly pursue your desires?

Life isn’t following my schedule. But my paintings give me the ability to bend time.

“Art is my cure to all this madness, sadness and loss of belonging in the world & through it I’ll walk myself home.” – Nikki Rowe

I hope this newsletter finds you well, brimming with inspiration and ready to embrace the extraordinary. Today, I want to share a tale of how my dear friend John Paul, an untamable force of nature, inspired me to live life to the fullest.

Our story begins with three castaways. A swaggering ex-biker turned hairstylist who benched 360 and yelled at the moon, a young, over-caffeinated version of myself, and a gay used car salesman hypnotist all converging on a house that would soon become a haven for outcasts and misadventures. We were a motley crew… or at least a strong pilot for a sitcom. The hypnotist and I each rented a room in Mr. Paul’s house and he graciously let me squeeze my studio in between his motorcycles in the garage.

John Paul’s journey was the journey of the Phoenix. From a punch-drunk bike gang brawler, he emerged from his ashes as a master hair cut and colorist, captivating the hearts of his salon clients. With his skull and fire-emblazoned arms, he moved with sensitivity and reverence, transforming hair into art. The ladies left his chair feeling not only beautiful but also seen and cherished. He was as straightforward as he was seductive. He was also an impressionist painter and sculptor, though his paintings didn’t turn out quite right unless he took his glasses off.

Inspiration Fridays Do you fearlessly pursue your desires? Gustav Von Stubenhfoffen - From Big Kenny's Pirates of Cookietown

Gustav Von Stubenhfoffen – From Big Kenny’s Pirates of Cookietown

But it wasn’t just his artistic spirit that left an indelible mark on me.

What truly struck me about John Paul was his unwavering belief. Doubt was a foreign concept to him; he embraced life with every fiber of his being. Witnessing miracle after miracle materialize through his unyielding faith, I came to realize that dreams weren’t just possible for him—they were inevitable. He could spin his truck 180° at full speed and arrive in the opposite lane facing the correct direction. He could pick out the most beautiful and unapproachable woman in the room and marry her. He defied the odds with unwavering confidence.

My friend John Paul personified a life lived to the fullest. His passion served as his compass, guiding him through uncharted territories of the soul. His belief in himself and his dreams acted as a beacon of inspiration, he lived with a fire that continues to burn in all of us whose lives he touched.

John Paul passed away last week in a motorcycle accident. He was 72. It’s tragic, but for a man who lived as he did, I can’t imagine him going slowly in a hospital bed. As I reflect upon my old paintings of him, I am emboldened by his example and the indelible legacy he left behind.

8paint Inspiration Friday Do you fearlessly pursue your desires? Isle o' Plenty - From Big Kenny's Pirates of Cookietown

Isle o’ Plenty – From Big Kenny’s Pirates of Cookietown

 

I urge you to contemplate what you are hungry for.

Can you hunt it down with reckless abandon?

Do you fearlessly pursue your desires?

 

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