Mind Games

Inspiration is my fickle companion in art - vitally important, but unpredictable and strong-willed. It can't be cajoled and makes an appearance only when it's good and ready. It appears from nowhere to deliver a fresh and exciting painting idea, filling me with enthusiasm for it to the exclusion of all else only to disappear again without trace, often before the idea has been fully realised. It deserts me without warning and cuts my enjoyment for the task off at the knees as it departs. From that point on I'm left stranded, with a hard slog ahead at best, and with abandonment of the painting often the ultimate outcome. Is this an inevitable state of affairs for those of us with an artistic temperament? Is there there some new mind game I don't know about that can hold inspiration captive?

As I ponder this, I'm almost driven to revert to smaller works once my current painting is done with, the thinking being that I'll be able to finish them before the spark of inspiration dies. How frustrating! How limiting!

Cheers

Pete

Missing in Action

Just a "Hi" to my faithful legion of followers and an update to let them know I haven't vanished completely - perhaps a more appropriate title would be "Mission Inaction"!

With sales of my paintings and prints non-existent so far in my revitalised artistic career, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands when a juicy computing project came my way recently. The downside is that it's meant putting aside my paintbrushes and dusting off the long-forgotten, logical and somewhat nerdy hemisphere of my brain reserved for such mundane things.

The income has been welcome even if it's been short-lived, but with the bulk of the work completed now, I'm in a position to think about my neglected paintings and how I might rekindle the spark of enthusiasm where my current egret painting is concerned. With only a few leaves and feathers left to complete, the logical part of my brain - which is currently very active - tells me it should be relatively easy to accomplish. The idle artistic side is rousing itself in protest however - perhaps it's enjoyed the time off and wants me to extend its vacation.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

Cheers

Pete