Inspiration

Inspiration comes from many different places, and where it goes depends on what you do with it. Some of the best sources of inspiration is to try something new and meeting someone new....it always (if you allow it) leads you somewhere and gives you new energy. My inspiration last week was a Free Arts mentors workshop with Steve King. He is a Wisconsin artist working and teaching in oil pastels. He obviously has a passion for teaching kids art and has taught in many different countries around the world. Taking us through a art lesson we could use in our free arts mentoring, he had us do an exercise starting with a magazine clipping(see it in the center of the photo above.)  Playing with the oil pastel was just plain fun. It was so great to have him share his thoughts and ideas about our work.  I learned some and enjoyed meeting a very interesting Artist.

Funny enough it was that little magazine clipping that  spoke to me the next day. I have piles of scrape books with magazine clipping of things I like or want to draw or paint. I surrounded them with bits of pictures that are unrecognizable as things, but which created a texture or feeling. 

Above are pages from one of my many inspiration scrapbooks. I started making these about 25 years ago. It is a good way to put creativity into motion. It is also very therapeutic.

I have been working in abstract as of late with my encaustics And had a pile of magazine clipping of textures and color. I could not be content until they were pieced together in an abstract form. Not sure where this will lead me, but I know it is part of what makes my art.