Tonight’s questions– For fellow creatives-what inspires you to create and do words often come from pictures or do pictures follow words? For the non-creatives-what about art attracts or interests you and again do you think of images while reading a story or do images tell more of a story than words? I hope to have lots of comments and insights on both sides of the creative spectrum-maybe we’ll all learn something about what inspires us and where true inspiration originates from.
In this blog I will include a painting and than the words behind them-normally that would be poetry but in this case it is more of a prose description of a time and place.
At the beginning of football season-my son was ten I think, I sat on the ground watching storms pass through the sky over the field as all the parents wondered if they would call the practice but it continued. Later we even sat on slick bleachers and ignored the fact that we were all soaked, that’s parenting I guess and I can tell you not one seemed put out-okay we hide it well-another parent thing.
This first painting was inspired after the storms had subsided and a swarm of dragonflies stormed in the sky around the great burst of light that broke through the clouds. The light was amazing and the break in the rain was a welcome spectacle for us drenched parents at the beginning of another football season.
The wonderful thing about that space and time of
watching my son practice is I actually get to sit and spend time observing, the time is his not mine, we actually act like a community-If I wanted to be hoaky I would say the light coming through the clouds was hope for a winning season or maybe just a spark of hope through the storm, but I won’t be hoaky-no really, I won’t. The inspiration for it was the beginning of the season, my son and I enjoying a time that was precious and unable to be duplicated. It was a moment in time-the dragonflies, the end of summer and time to notice the simple things-my life stopped for that moment and even when it was a burden to go at times, even sitting in the pouring rain, it was somehow worth it and the relationships my son and I developed were wonderful.
The bottom picture is another pastel of the same place, different time- he was more like five and the sport was soccer, another group of people to know, another great moment in our lives captured. These images were all sketched out for several years before I ever actually finished them, it’s almost like they have to ferment for a while.
Now we are in football again, different group of people, again moments captured that create images that become pastel sketches and always remind me of those moments. I’ll always remember the dragonflies, the light of the evening and the light of the storms that would pass-all of these feelings and moments become the colors in my paintings.
Beautiful colors in these two paintings!
I am often inspired by my dreams or familiar landscapes when I am painting. Otherwise I usually just start and see where it goes 😉 As for the words following pictures or vice versa…its probably both ? 🙂
Thanks Kyla,
I appreciate your response. I have definitely had that start and see where it goes process before but I usually have some strong image that I’m trying to capture-actually more of a mood to capture so the interpretation is pretty broad. Thanks again for your reply. i really appreciate your insights.
Steve
Love the paintings! For me, the writing usually comes first, at least with blogging, and then I select the picture I think best captures that particular thought. However, I have been inspired to write something just by looking at a certain painting–usually poetry. Either way is fine as long as it gets the muses going!
I know the process of the muse too well-it really is an intangible inspiration but when you are in that place the painting or writing tends to create itself.
Thanks for the complement. I look forward to reading more of your blog and thanks for the advice you gave-very helpful. Have a great day and thanks for responding.
Steve