Hours in a Day

Sometimes it seems as if there just aren't enough hours in a day. I would love to say that I get "x amount" of painting in every day, but working as a full time artist also means putting part time hours in at other jobs to help keep income rolling so that I can keep painting. I bring this up because recently I was asked 'how much time do you spend every day painting?' My answer can best be summed up with....'as much as I can get in....even if that means only 1 hour, I say make it a good hour! Typically, I like to spend a few morning hours in the studio, then have lunch, go for a walk, go back to the studio and paint away into early evening, unless I have to go to my part time gig, then I get cut short a few hours on the end. When I feel tired or that the juices aren't flowing, I try to journal, sketch, and work on my jewelry.' My hands are almost always moving and that helps keep the ideas flowing. Not every piece is going to be a brilliant and stunning masterpiece, but I like to see the evolution that happens from one piece to the next; that is very intriguing! And sometimes I hit upon a stroke of genius!

Unusual Inspiration

People often ask me where I draw inspiration from to make my art. While this may seem quite simple enough of an answer, it is not. Perhaps most of the time, I would say that 'nature is my biggest inspiration. Seed pods are my favorite things to see, collect and paint! I've had a fascination with wooden boxes for a long time and seed pods remind me of them, but more so on the level of Pandora's box and the mysteries of what's on the inside! Seasonal changes and colors are also a great inspiration, as I am fortunate to live in New England....the smell of mud, watching something grow, mature, change, decay....life cycles. I do love science on many levels: chemisty, botany, geology, so these do play somewhat of an inspiration. Most importantly I think the act of creating art inspires the next pieces and so on.' While this is the broadest sense to describe where I find inspiration, it is not always the case; often times I am in the most random of places when I feel, hear or see something. For example, just the other day, while playing hostess at my part time job, I saw residual watermarks on a serving tray that reminded me of a lingering oak leaf, sprouting in the breeze, clinging to it's twig-like branch for dear life, while acorns, pods and berries drifted in the wind around it. This reminded me of an ink-blot image, oozing the potential to be more than just watermarks; the potential to be an ink painting that perhaps gets a few touches of acrylic highlights.