Sparks of inspiration Feb ’24

Some good things to share in February

I recently had a major creative block (still recovering) and created very little art since November. There are always some life worries and winter generally is a hard season for me. The key to recovering was to consistently show up in my studio space, even if I didn’t feel like it, and to count as making art everything from one collage paper glued into a sketchbook to mixing colours on scrap paper. I also returned to my beloved practice of making Handmade mixed media sketchbooks to get the creative juices flowing again.

This month I decided to add links to some of the resources that helped me to get back on track plus just some random positive things around art and creativity.

Hope you enjoy the list!

• How to drop back into your Art - Nicholas Wilton. A great podcast with practical tips about how to start creating after a break if you feel disconnected from your art & practice.

• The hidden benefits of mediocre days - Laura Horn. “Mediocre days are part of the journey” - a good thing to remind ourselves from time to time.

• How Surrender Fuels Creativity: Navigating Art, Business, & Uncertainty with Bibby Gignilliat - Creative Genius podcast. The title says it all! Bibby is a great source of inspiration as an artist and person.

• Distinguishing Between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation - Elizabeth Gilbert. A very important message that I needed to hear when I was a teenager, but it’s never too late.

• Letters Live project - a very fun project with various actors reading letters aloud to an audience. I like turning it on when painting, it helps me to get out of my head, but also provides inspiration, laugh and food for thought.

• Watercolour Comparisons Greens & Green Watercolour Swatches - Jane Blundell. With dull and grey winter colours outside I became quite obsessed with mixing greens lately. A big disappointment was to learn that the beautiful green pigment PG8 from my student grade palette is fugitive, so to find a suitable replacement I went down the rabbit hole of mixing green watercolours.

• Reviewing my everyday palette - Liz Steel. My inquiries into greens naturally led me into revising my current watercolour palette. Liz has great inspiration and mixing tips. Her site is such a gem!

• My current watercolour palette - Jeanne Oliver. Another source of inspiration for creating your own palette. I love Jeanne’s earthy and muted choice of colour. She uses many “convenience colours”, which is handy when painting on location.

• Drawing and Painting People: A Fresh Approach - Emily Ball. Last year I confronted my old fear of drawing people and actually ended up liking it, so when I heard about the book on Art Juice, I naturally added it to my Amazon basket.

• Drawing on Location: Not for Everyone - The Artist’s Greenhouse. I have a very limited art space (& not enough light), so this year I decided to try painting and drawing on location. I know, the name of the article may sound counterintuitive! I want to improve my observation skills, notice more nuance in colour variations and improve my ability to simplify shapes and composition in a landscape. I also just want to get out more often and be more present during our travels and nature walks. Last year I failed to consistently practice art when travelling, so this article helped me to let go of my expectations around drawing on location, so I am focusing on showing up this year.

Thank you for reading and until next time!

Lisa