My husband/business manager always says to work with the best materials you can afford. You can only go so far with crummy supplies.
That said, it is time to move on to a more pressing matter...
What to paint?
Oh dear Lord, this decision sometimes stops me in my tracks and leaves me boggled for what feels like an eternity.
I swear I have a million or more reference photos full of wonderful content but nothing is ringing a bell... yet. Ever have that issue?
I grumbled to myself for a few hours today about not knowing what to paint next when I remembered something oh-so-very-lovely!
One of my all time painting heroes, Kevin MacPherson, suggested in his book, Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light and Color,to make a scrap book of artwork you love for those times when you need a break or a touch of inspiration (p. 120).
I love to cut images from art magazines and paste them into my little inspiration book.
I have masters mingling with newbies, landscapes with figures. There is no particular rhyme or reason to my inspiration book other than every image pasted in it is a particular favorite of mine for some reason or another. And boy do I have a LOT of favorites! I find at least one or two in every art magazine.
What I love most is how everything in the "regular" world starts to look like a painting after absorbing my little clip art collection.
It's a wonderful exercise, and I have to remind myself to do it sometimes. Especially when I am stuck and frustrated.... Foaming at the mouth.
Moral of the story:
If you find yourself in Drabsville, immerse your senses in work you admire.
(It's all about focusing on the things you love rather than nitpicking about the things you don't. Attitude is everything!)
I posted a couple of images from my inspiration book. I'd tell you who the artists are if I had only written them down when I cut out the images... Hmm. Note to self: keep better notes.
