Lilies and Beyond

Lilies [above] having been completed yesterday, I come to the matter of how to pick a subject for painting or what inspires an artist to work. In my case, I prefer to commit myself to working every day, regardless of inspiration, even if "working" only means a quick sketch or a few brushstrokes. It seems to me that creative indecision stems from either temporarily failing to see how many remarkable and interesting things there are in the world or having so many ideas that one cannot tell where to start. My solution to the first "challenge" is to take a walk, travel, or read a book-- any well-written book on philosophy, history, nature, or art will usually do for me. When it comes to the second, I like to make a list so I do not forget potential ideas, and then I begin with the first item and carry on. Because I find myself interested in so many different subjects and my mind is so flooded with imagery, I usually never run out of material that I want to depict, but sometimes it is nice to casually peruse my photo albums or experiment with texture and color until I have a nice first layer to let my imagination develop into a new painting. However I devise an idea, the act of painting itself inspires me enough to work continuously. Currently, I have two works already in progress-- a large painting inspired by the Five Points area which I set aside several weeks ago and a smaller painting of the same scene which I began today. Naturally, both will soon be featured on Abstract Träumerei!