Tag Archives: creative energy

Oct23

What Happens When an Artists Gets an IDEA!

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Wild Poppy!

One day I was sitting in my living room thinking about how to get my MoJo back.   As I wallowed in the misery of not being able to get inspired…no matter what, it occured to me that I had a very large roll of rolled canvas.   What could I do with a roll of canvas?   I know other artists have worked with raw canvas, because I have seen banners of art hanging in coffee shops, even hanging outside.   Can’t I make floor coverings also?

After thinking about the posabilities, I dug through my studio to get the tube of canvas out.  The tube hanging out in the very back of a corner in my studio, and covered in years of dust, willingly hopped out to see me, and let me know it was ready for service!   Now I was getting excited….

My husband, Les helped me cut a large piece of canvas, and in all my excitement I had to  try doing what I had been thinking about for years.  The painting above is the first of my Fantasy Art.

Splash of Happiness was the second of my fun abstract painting.   I’m having fun now….   After that I think i was full of myself and decided to work on a larger piece.   Gingerly I cut a long piece about 26″ X 12″ and painted it black.  This was the end result of my black piece.

A New Day

My Daughter in law came by,  loved it in black, and quickly claimed it for her own.   I wasn’t going to leave it black, however since she loved it so much, I decided to stop while I was ahead.  This was just the start, and I was having so much fun.   I loved the abstraction, and all I am able to think about was how to abstract my art even more.

Happy Poppy was claimed by my Daughter, so I put a frame around it because it was 12″ X 12″ and easy to frame.  No Glass!

Happy Poppy!

The last painting I wasnt to show you I named “It’s Been a Crazy Day!”  It’s so much fun to challenge myself to abstract even more, and because they are on an unstretched canvas, it seems to take the fear out of wasting a good stretched canvas.   Of course, it’s all in my mind, but I have always said, “the mind is a terrible thing to waste!”

It’s Been a Crazy Day!

Thank you for taking the time to stop and check out Karen’s Stone Soup.   See you next time….

May15

This is What I’ve Been Doing…..

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Recently I started taking abstract classes from Richard Hawk, and although I feel I have a long way to go, I also feel I’m on the right road.  My love is for “Figurative Abstract,”  and finally I’m experimenting with the subject matter and having fun doing it.  One of my art sisters decided to take classes with me, and together we go twice a month for direction and inspiration.

This video is of Richard Hawk.   I hope you can see why I’m impressed and why I’m growing as an artist.  If nothing else happens, I can tell you this…..I’m painting more often, I’m being more bold and less afraid while creating, and have no fear of what the end result is!   I have never believed that there are mistakes, only opportunity to learn and grow.  Richard believes the same.  He has me using pens, crayons, ink and all things are on the table in an effort to explore creativity.

It is one of the most fun things I’ve done in years.  Many articles have been written about finding inspiration, unblocking your creativity, and how to start looking at things in a way that sparks ones inspiration, and I’ve written several of them myself.  Richards classes have definitely taught me how to do that and more.

As the days and months go by, I plan on showing just how crazy I can get, and how crazy my art turns out. In an attempt to show all of this to my followers, my hope is that you can see growth in me as well.   I owe all this to my new mentor Richard Hawk the artist.

Thank you for stopping by and reading Stone Soup,  see you next time.

Feb9

Perfectionism…..

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Take it, or leave it?   That is the question.

The number one thing that stops an artist or anyone else in their tracks. It is wonderful to do your best, and work hard at it. Some things require it! But repetition is something that will help overcome a persons inability to do our best. An artist for instance, in my opinion will create more interesting art if it comes from the heart, without the fear of painting a piece we think will not measure up.

I work very hard at ignoring what others think, knowing not everyone will like or appreciate my kind of art.  That’s ok, we aren’t all alike, and it doesn’t matter.  You can’t please everyone!

I thought this might help some of you to hear it from a different source….not me actually, and definitely not your mother!  Have fun creating whatever kind of creating you do.

Thank you for stopping to visit Stone Soup,  see you next time.

Jan31

If you can’t paint, drink it!

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I know this is really simple, but sometimes simple is better.  I’ve been busy painting during the day, and watching TV and making dinner for my husband in the evening.  All in all, I forget to sit down and post until I’m in bet late at night.  I awake with great intentions,  but my day gets away from me.

Excuses, excuses!

Even though I am giving excuses, we are all busy and I’m sure at times all our days get busy.  So enough.  I found this extremely simple video, and thought if I can paint a wine glass like this, I can paint an abstract glass with wine.  My theory being if it doesn’t work,  and painting this seems impossible,  drink your model!!!  Try it, it may work for a relaxing afternoon or evening!

Thank you for checking up on Stone Soup,  I’ll post paintings as soon as I’m sure they are finished.  See you soon….

Jan16

Happy New Year Everybody

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Happy New Year from
Karen at Stone Soup

 

Everyone is busy during the holiday season, so I won’t give you excuses about why I’ve been away. We all shop, cook, go out, stay in, get colds or flu. We all need time out for one reason or another, but everyone gets crazy at the end of the year. I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe holiday, and a happy beginning of 2018.

Some of us did, but fortunately only a few of us came down with colds or flu. Not me anyway, I don’t have time for that stuff!

I started knitting again for the first time in more years than I can count.  Yep, I’m not sure what inspired me, but I bought yarn around April or May, and with the help of my friend Susan, I jumped in.  Susan gave me directions, and started me on the right path, it was Susan who encouraged me to, ” keep going, it will all look ok when your finished!”  I’d pick it up and work on it, I’d put it down because I was over it.  Sometimes it felt right to be knitting, other times it was too hot to pick up the yarn, or I was too hot to pick it up.  Then the last three or four months were right around the corner.  My knee was bothering me, I was not inspired to paint or create in any way, and that included knitting.

Soon I had knee surgery, and surprisingly for me, it was pretty easy.  My doctor said, “I told you it wouldn’t be bad!”   Yes, but everyone else said it’s the worst surgery to have.  I admit the first week was the worst, but after that everything started to get easier.  By the end of the third week, I no longer needed pain medication, and was getting around quite well.  Not a bad experience all in all.

The holidays arrived far too soon, and with the help of our beloved internet, almost all of my shopping was able to be completed online. I only went to the “mall” once, with a trip to See’s Candy for chocolate covered cherries for John, my son-in-law.  He looks forward to those, and rarely gets special treats  throughout the year.   So  he measures my love of him by the size of the box of cherries.  A pound box indicates  I only like him, a two-pound box indicates I love him a lot!  I do love him a lot, he is the best son-in-law a mother could have!”

Meanwhile, our Christmas was over in a flash, and New Years is smacking us in the face….Another year older and all that.  I started working on my knitting again, and since I was able to spend  New Years Eve alone, I had plenty of time to knit to my hearts desire.  My hubby, Les always has a concert on NYE, and I’m usually at my grandsons since his parents usually work.  But this time was different and almost special since I didn’t know what to do with a NYE alone.   I didn’t want to be out driving,  curling up sound good, so that’s what I did….curled up with my needles, and yarn.  Needless to say, without interruption, I finished two fronts, and a back of a sweater coat.  Not just any sweater coat, an   “Artsy Fartsy” sweater coat.  After all I have an image to uphold.  Two sleeves left, and the fun begins.  Meaning…. putting it together, blocking it so it actually looks like a sweater.   That’s where I am at the moment.  I’m counting on Susan’s help to actually make it look like I can recognize it.

Just playing, trying to find inspiration!

I continue to have zero  inspiration  to paint, sketch, or create in my studio, and  most of my friends are void of inspiration as well.  I’m thinking this must be a time to replenish our creative energy.  It’s gloomy, chilly, (not as chilly as the rest of the country) but our blood is thin here in Southern California, and we are on the coast.  It’s damp!

More yarn…and there is more….

The other day I got a bit carried away and browsed through Joanne’s Fabric  looking at yarn.  Of course, right there on the shelf was a skein of yarn that started calling my name.  I continued looking, but this particular color or multiple of colors yelled at me, and I had to return.  I gingerly put it in my cart like a small puppy, and walked around with it.  (I know Ceasar, the Dog Whisperer would say to pick a calm puppy that kind of ignores you, but this puppy spoke my language.)   The colors were perfect (not calm), and I found other yarn that had a little bling that complimented it.  What was I to do?

This I got off of FB, and found it good advise!

Today, as we wait for promised rain, and maybe even a thunder storm, I have many things to accomplish.  Have a great week, stay healthy, and if you don’t have creative inspiration,  it’s OK!

Thank you for all my new followers, and for all the people who have followed me on my journey.  As Stone Soup suggests, I am a mix of many things,  not just paint, and brushes.   I appreciate your input, your ideas, and the energy you provide me with.   I’ll be back soon….Stone Soup