Find ideas in the simple things around you, like the details of nature or everyday actions. The ideas of "lift" and "drop" are rich with potential for both media exploration and conceptual depth. They are oppositional in movement but interconnected in rhythm. Whether you are lifting a brush or watching a drop of ink spread into a bloom, both actions suggest an array of possible approaches to creating art.

In the creative journey, artists approach their work in different ways. Some rely heavily on intuition, allowing their instincts to guide each stroke of the brush, while others take a more methodical approach, carefully planning with research, sketches, and color studies. Regardless of the method, all artists engage with the concepts of "looking" and "listening"—two essential tools that inform their process.

To look as an artist is more than just seeing. It involves inspecting, analyzing, and searching for meaning. It’s about gaining an impression of what the work could be or how it feels to you. It’s a means of assessing both the canvas and the world around you to inspire and direct your work. On the other hand, to listen is to pay attention not just to external advice or instruction, but also to internal cues and signals. Listening might involve tuning into your instincts, considering a mentor’s guidance, or even hearing the subtle 'voice' of the work as it develops.

Whether you lean toward intuition or meticulous planning, understanding how to incorporate looking and listening into your practice can strengthen your connection with your art. In this blog, we will explore the two approaches artists use to guide their process, offering creative strategies and reflective questions to help you determine what works best for you.

In the creative journey, artists approach their work in different ways. Some rely heavily on intuition, allowing their instincts to guide each stroke of the brush, while others take a more methodical approach, carefully planning with research, sketches, and color studies. Regardless of the method, all artists engage with the concepts of "looking" and "listening"—two essential tools that inform their process.

To look as an artist is more than just seeing. It involves inspecting, analyzing, and searching for meaning. It’s about gaining an impression of what the work could be or how it feels to you. It’s a means of assessing both the canvas and the world around you to inspire and direct your work. On the other hand, to listen is to pay attention not just to external advice or instruction, but also to internal cues and signals. Listening might involve tuning into your instincts, considering a mentor’s guidance, or even hearing the subtle 'voice' of the work as it develops.

Whether you lean toward intuition or meticulous planning, understanding how to incorporate looking and listening into your practice can strengthen your connection with your art. In this blog, we will explore the two approaches artists use to guide their process, offering creative strategies and reflective questions to help you determine what works best for you.

Nature is a rich source of inspiration, offering boundless themes to explore. The cycles of planting and reaping – embodied in the words "Sow" and "Harvest" – represent deep metaphors that connect us to the earth and its rhythms. Whether you're looking to capture the beauty of nature or tap into symbolic meaning, here are 10 creative ideas to inspire your next project, using the prompts "Harvest" and "Sow."

Natures rhythms, cycles, and contrasts offer endless opportunities to explore themes that resonate deeply with our human experiences. Today, we’ll dive into 10 art ideas drawn from nature using the prompts "Glow" and "Fade." Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just beginning your creative journey, these ideas can spark your imagination and lead to creating a meaningful artwork for both you and your audience.

Nature has always been a profound source of inspiration for me. Natures rhythms, cycles, and contrasts offer endless opportunities to explore themes that resonate deeply with our human experiences. Today, we’ll dive into 10 art ideas drawn from nature using the prompts "Rise" and "Fall." Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just beginning your creative journey, these ideas can spark your imagination and lead to creating a meaningful artwork for both you and your audience.

Summer arrived on June 21 with a heat wave here in the Hudson Valley. The air was still thick with humidity. The afternoons were agitated with strong thunderstorms and downpours of rain. The summer equinox is an exciting day filled with astronomical, cultural and historical significance for the height of the Sun's journey and the midpoint of the solar year. The word "solstice" comes from the Latin "solstitium," meaning "Sun standing still". This made me thing about the constant movement of the universe and how hard it is to truly find stillness.

Humans have created many symbolic meanings to further illustrate the depth and richness of the summer solstice's significance and impact on culture, spirituality, and connections to the natural world. Many cultures celebrate the summer solstice with various festivals and rituals. Ancient monuments like Stonehenge in England are aligned with the solstice sunrise.

Consider the effects of the summer solstice on you and your environment. What are the changes you notice or that you are seeking to discover?

I love the stillness of the garden and the buzzing of the insects racing from flower to flower or the agitating wings of hummingbirds. Pollinators like bees and butterflies are particularly active, aiding in the reproduction of flowering plants. Many plants use the increased daylight as a signal to flower or bear fruit. This timing ensures that pollinators are active and that seeds can develop in the warmest part of the year. Many insects, such as butterflies, beetles, and dragonflies, time their life cycles to emerge as adults around the summer solstice when temperatures are are just right and food is abundant. Nature’s cycles are so in tune with the solstice.

Manipulation of space is vital in art. Let's look at different ways to manipulate space and look at large and small spaces in nature for inspiration and creating meaning. he element of space refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within objects. Artists use space to create a sense of depth, perspective, and composition in their works. How you use space can add additional meaning to a work of art. Empty Spaces as Pause: Leaving certain areas intentionally empty can serve as a visual pause, allowing the viewer to reflect or contemplate. This can be particularly effective in minimalist or abstract art. Spatial Compression for Intimacy: On the contrary, compressing space can create a sense of intimacy, bringing elements closer together. This can be used to emphasize relationships, unity, or shared experiences.

Find the element of value in nature by observing and interpreting the play of light and shadow. The term "value" in art refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color. In nature, the interplay of sunlight and shadows creates a wide range of values that you can capture in your work. By keenly observing these aspects of nature, you can translate your impressions into visual representations that convey the richness and depth of the natural world.

Incorporate textures from nature into an artwork, not only for their visual and tactile qualities but also to infuse your piece with layers of meaning, connect viewers to the natural world and convey emotions, narratives, and cultural or environmental messages.

Consider exploring the boundaries and openings of shape and how it is represented in nature. The shapes found in nature offer numerous lessons and insights that go beyond their visual appeal. Nature presents a diverse array of shapes, each influenced by various factors such as environmental conditions, growth patterns, and evolutionary adaptations.

Consider exploring how line is represented in nature. Search for example from nature that are both evergreen and fleeting. How does the line change depending on the stage in time that it is currently experiencing. What direction is the line moving and why? Use these lines to create movement in your own work. Consider horizontal, diagonal, vertical, or multidirectional. How does direction change the meaning of your work?

Revisiting an artwork that has been abandoned can be a daunting task. Here are a few ideas to help you rejuvenate an old artwork. When you have become stagnant in your art practice, these are also a few ways to get you flowing again.

Rejuvenate: give new life to, or to restore to a healthy condition, restore interest in something

Stagnate: to be, or become, inactive or unchanging, lack of progress or development, to cease to flow or move

Take a step back and assess the current state of your artwork and practice with fresh eyes. You may not have seen this work in a while. Identify areas that are working. It may be just a small section, but don’t diminish what you have done well.

The 100 Day Project is complete. I called my project “A Capacity for Endlessness”. This title came from the first chapter of the promotional book that I used as the paper support for my collages and paintings. It was the perfect title for a project that would last for so long. I learned so much about my limits and what I needed to do to push through when I felt like I reached my capacity. The truth is, ideas are endless. They are there, waiting, for the moment you are ready to take them. There are, however, a number of strategies that can help you push through blocks of time when you feel you have reached your capacity.

The 100 day project has provided me with a great record of my process over time. I have recorded my work through photographs and videos, published on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Time will tell how long this record will last, but for now it is something that I have been able to share with others and also look back on and reflect about what I have learned over the past 90 days. I still have 10 days to go, but this was a huge accomplishment that I will never want to forget. For an artist, journaling can come in many forms. I am not a traditional journalist, such as a diary, but I have created a visual record that allows me to learn from all that I have done.

This year I will be setting goals that will help me participate in The 100 Day Project. In order to complete a collage a day for 100 days, I needed to decide what type of work that would be meaningful to my artistic practice, how this project will help me reach some of my yearly goals, and what types of parameters i need to set in order to be successful.

I used a lot more control than usual with this little chickadee drawing and collage. I started with a pencil drawing, ink and inktense pencils. Fluid ink was used to create a soft floating background and a little release of control. Transparent collage adds contrast to the detailed drawing and a softer disappearing background.

How do you use point of view in your creative work to organize the sensory information or create a departure from reality for your audience? What does your viewpoint have to say?

Viewpoint:

the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information

point of view from which something is seen, presented, or approached

attitude toward something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge

How can you play with a birds-eye, worms-eye, or an eye level point of view? What viewpoint will communicate the meaning that you want to convey?

Distortion:

departure from what is normal, usual, or expected

exaggeration to create a comic comic or grotesque effect

contouring twisting or deforming something

What might you distort or exaggerate to emphasize your meaning?

There is always a reason that some creative works speak to you more than others. That is your internal voice speaking to you. Discovering what the artist is emphasizing in the work is a key to understanding that voice. The artist is also understating some of the elements in their work in order to let another shine. Both of these ideas are important to a successful work. It is a dance between the two.

Artists make art for a variety of personal reasons. Artists can make art for themselves or others. Artists can be commissioned or paid by another to make a specific work. I ask my students all the time to think about “why?” they want to create their work. Think about what you want your work to do. What is its purpose? How can you use your subject to do that for you?