How do artists work through creative block? The kind of creative block I am interested in is working block, when you persist in the studio but find it difficult to create work that speaks to you. During these times I feel I may never be able to paint successfully again. It’s usually about this time I find deadlines popping up to add a sense of apprehension to the mix.
Now the great thing about my current situation is that it will give me the grist for my next book. I need something to share, not only in the writing of the book, but in the creating of new artwork. Recently I began to explore an idea that has followed me for some time. I had on hand all my beautiful photographs taken to record my travels, to inspire me, and I was looking for a way to give them a presence; a more direct input into my art process. I found the best tools on hand, besides tapping into my own creativity, was the internet, and my many books.
The internet has a lot to offer us all. I discovered, through research, that I could create original artworks by taking my photographs on a journey to another place through different media. I love making these new images and they have in turn opened the door to exploring new ideas for my painting. I am also continuing to investigate the philosophy behind art creation and phenomenology, all giving me a new way to look at things.
Books give me a lot of inspiration and I collect them with a vengeance. While on the Sunshine Coast for my recent Mt Coolum opening I bought a box full at a Book Fest. Very few were in the art section but in the surrounding bins were treasures. What did I find? I found a book titled Tyler Graphics : The Extended Image, so inspiring and just what I needed to open my mind a little more.
There was a small book in a second hand bookshop in Eumundi on Helen Frankenthaler’s work. I recently found her work online and she was an innovative painter from over 50 years ago. I also found a book on Japanese architecture, and another on Chinese brush writing and mark making. To break through block I always need to be inspired, to feel I have something to say about the world.
These days I am seeing everything in a new light. This is a link to some of the original archival pigment prints I have been working on { POA }. They were all completed within my studio and presented on Stonehenge Art paper. I feel I have only just scraped the surface with this project so much to pursue and so many resources at hand.
Calm before the storm : Original archival pigment print
Hooked on You : Original Archival pigment print
