Thoughts on Painting

A while back I answered a series of questions about painting. Feel free to comment.

1. Why do you make art?

I was a graphic designer for 15 year before I became a fine artist. I enjoyed it and felt I was good at it. However in graphic design the end product and the production time table are controlled by the client. Often clients allowed so little time that the job was stressful and made changes that destroyed the design’s aesthetic. 

When I paint, I choose all aspects of the painting — the size, the style, the colors, the subject matter, the framing, everything. This is immensely satisfying. I choose a work pace which allows me to enjoy the process and and have a balance life (i.e., spend time with family and friends).

Like many artists, I believe I was born to paint. Nothing else is so satisfying.

2. When did you first realize that other people identified you as having artistic talent?

I didn’t do much art when I was young. I thought the study of math or science was a better use of one’s time than “goofing off” doing art. That art wasn’t a serious pursuit — that it wasn’t practical. Obviously, my world has shifted since then. 

It took about three years of study before people identified me as having “artistic talent.”

3. How do your ideas come to you? What kind of things are likely to suggest new ideas or directions?

I am particularly inspired by color and dramatic lighting. When I see something with exciting color, interesting shadows or reflections I want to paint it. I write down ideas in my journal. I read a lot and that gives me ideas to pursue. I usually have more ideas than I have time to develop. 

4. When do you feel most creative? Is it at a particular time of day/night/year? Or is determined by your mood?

I usually paint from noon – 6:00 pm. I do my errands and such in the morning so the rest of the day is clear. It’s best that way because once I start painting, I won’t remember to do anything else. I am still mentally sharp then, too. 

I don’t paint as well in the winter. I speculate that it is because the light is weaker then and colors are more muted. It would great to travel to sunny locations to paint in the winter.

Mood isn’t a factor. I never know when I am going to get a  great painting. I just show up and paint and see what results.

5. While you are working on a project, what goes on in your mind?

I am completely focused on the painting, e.g. —  Is the composition interesting? Is the drawing right? What colors should I emphasize? Is that the right color? Is there balance? Energy? Is it exciting or boring?

6. How does stress factor into your creativity? Is it a deterrent or a motivating factor?

Stress isn’t productive.  Actually, painting reduces stress. Thinking shifts to the non-verbal, right side of the brain. You lose track of time and the only thing that matters is creating the painting.

7. How do you know when a work of art is completed?

You have to ruin a lot of paintings before you figure this one out! Typically, it is finished before you think it is. The trick is to stop when the painting is still fresh and it makes a complete statement. Probably because painting is so enjoyable, there’s a tendency to keep going past the painting’s peek moment and it becomes overworked. After going past this point many times, one learns to stop.

8. Does your finished work conform to the image you had of it when you first conceptualized it?

The subject matter is what I intended, but the style, colors, values, etc. often are different. Because each stroke is in response to the strokes before it, a small choice early on can make the painting go off in a new direction. I am open to happy accidents and feel they are often appear more clever and beautiful than what I would have chosen.

9. Have you ever thought that after an extended break from making art or from drawing, your work shows improvement? If so, how do you account for this?

I am of the belief that extended breaks from making art are detrimental. In the same way that you forget a foreign language when you don’t speak it, one forgets the language of painting. On the other extreme, one cannot paint 24/7. One must see and hear new things, in order to rest and recharge the creative “well.”

10. What do you feel the purpose of art is?

An artist was asked to justify his art to which he replied, “That is like asking what’s the point of a flower garden.”

Beauty and appreciation of beauty enhance people’s lives. The more that people focus on beauty and happiness, the better their world will be.