The process

 (all recent sketchbook pages)

I've been riding one of those massive creative burst for a while now. Although it makes me feel a bit manic and distracted, it is awesome. I know it won't last at least at this level and that's okay. 

I felt it sort it wind down yesterday in the studio. My palette seems confused and my ideas weren't translating well. I've been doing this long enough that it usually means a transition is coming and it's working itself out. So this week I'll let my subconscious work it out while I play with the littles and get the house ready for the back to school rush. Perhaps if there are quiet moments I'll work on my small canvases. 

It feels like I'm standing on the edge of what's next. Hmmm... kinda like the start of a new school year. 

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

I am in the midst of one of those rare and amazing times where the influx of ideas is almost frenetic.  It seems right now everywhere I look there is inspiration.  I know all too well that these moments are fleeting and I am trying my best to capture them so that when studio time presents itself I'll be prepared.  In an ideal world that would mean sketching away, making color studies capturing images with my camera.  In my reality as it is, it looks more like this...
While doing this...

 

I use my phone to do this...

 

 Honestly, I tend to write more than actually draw at first. So, this works for me.  In fact corralling the scraps of paper that include both grocery list, to do list and notes on my artistic ideas is a lot worse. 

Now that we are on vacation, I've been able to translate this into a sketchbook where I still write out descriptions, and a little bit of my thought process before I can capture them visually.

 Briar Patch?Lonely?Alone?

Castle?

 

 Nomad?

 Homestead

My plan is to play around with some color next.  I've packed some watercolors and oil pastels.  I'm curious to see if working the same image through so many incarnations with help or hinder the final painting.  There is such a spontaneity when I actually approach the canvas that I am confident will stay in tack.  The behavior of the medium tends to influence me immediately.  Either way I'm excited to see.

Just for fun

I'm sure this experiment would of worked better on an iPad, or with a stylus. I was playing around with the Brushes app on my phone. I was hoping to use it to record ideas. Not sure if I'm talented enough with digital media, but it sure was fun.

One of them I even did while Miss V was napping on me.