Inspiring Myself

I get inspiration from lots of different places. It may come from a piece created by another artist, something I see while driving my car, in an office building, or otherwise during my daily travels. But sometimes (and I am always thrilled by this) it may come from something I created myself.

On Tuesday I was working in my sketchbook and a painting I had created a couple of days prior just happened to be lying next to me. As I looked at it, I noticed a section where the paint sort of made a figure. It was completely unintentional, and I had not noticed it during the painting of the piece. But there it was, looking to me like a figure stretching or reaching up for something. Reaching for the stars perhaps? Sappy I know, but also hopeful, anticipating, even elated. A simple extension of my state of mind at that moment.


I must interject here that Tuesday was a particularly spectacular day with regard to my mood. Everything seemed to be going my way, I received several phone calls and emails from people wanting to commission paintings, or at the very least, inquiring about pricing and availability. I landed a couple of interviews for contract design work. And I was finishing up a paying project, so my fears of starvation were held at bay, at least for the time being. I was in fact, happy.

So back to the mysterious figure in my work. First I tried to draw it without looking at the painting. It didn’t look right. I looked at the painting and realized that was because my memory cannot be entirely relied upon, I often draw what I think something should look like rather than what it actually does look like. So for the rest of the sketch I let myself look at the thing. And I came up with the weird little figure in the sketch.

So I took it further to a painted sketch. I had a small canvas prepared that would accommodate my vision of the composition. It didn't turn out as I imagined it, and I will probably paint over this first chance I get, but one thing I do like, (and I have to admit, I had fun painting it in this way) is the return to what I have come to call my "reverse transfer" process, a technique I have not used in years. But it adds a nice textual quality without altering the actual surface of the substrate. Look for more of this in upcoming works.