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Why not jot it down?

Creativity is a strange process and sometimes the simplest process seems to have intricacies we wouldn’t realize if it weren’t for having a lifetime of studying it first hand. I have a theory about inspiration and its fleeting presence it usually affords. I will usually have titles of pieces of writing and words that are scattered, this will be the first sign that words of some sort will be assembled for a poem or a story. I have often tried to save just the bits of words so as to save the feeling if I don’t have time to get to writing at that moment and there is a problem with that sort of jotting down thoughts.

I believe that the words come in streams that are stored in memory- this process is in the subconscious state and the words suspend, not even necessarily connecting or forming specific thoughts or ideas but creating a backdrop of texture for upcoming words and ideas. When I write the words and ideas down it seems to me that it takes the words from the subconscious state and collects the thought in the conscious state. The conscious state being more pragmatic insists on responding to the process but never develops the words the way the subconscious does easily. I know it almost seems like two entities speaking simultaneously and before you go get the nice people in white coats-it is the process of creativity where two hemispheres of the brain decipher and create what will be a poem, essay or bit of writing. I think as soon as the words go into the conscious the thought and reason ignores the connection of things that don’t connect and the rational mind will not relate the words in the same process.

A different form of the same process is when words stream for a week or so without being written down, this also occurs in the painting process of images as well but now I will relate it just to writing.
The words of experiences and snapshots of life float in the subconscious until one day with just enough time in introspection and availability of clarity, words from all the different snapshots form together with little effort than quick fingers usually on the computer. I this process I will often have up to fifteen or so poems written in the span of thirty minutes, I don’t remember what I wrote in that time and the words all flow together easily without having to over edit-to me this is the most natural form of the creative process.

Has anyone else experienced this form of stream of consciousness and what breaks your stream of creativity? Would love to hear comments on the subject as it is a strange and magical process creativity.

Articles on travel

Approaching Surreal

The Terns
In the most recent series, the paintings have varied from realism/impressionism to the edge of surrealism. Maybe not surreal in the traditional sense but maybe a precursor to images to come where realism takes less importance than the atmosphere or the texture. I have started images dealing with perspectives-the viewer is forced to see a moon scene looking up a tree instead of a realistic night sky. I want the viewer to feel a bit on the edge of reality and the thought of place and circumstance. 
In the terns, I wanted the viewer to get the idea of place by the terns and see the ocean breakers in a different way. Another image that is included in this grouping is a pastel which I haven’t recently included in the recent series-an evening in a park with the hyper lighting of lamp posts. Again the idea is more the feeling and texture of the scene, I want the viewer to find themselves in a place they have seen before but to see it in a different way.
Back to the idea of surreal, I have always wanted to paint what was somewhat haunted, a pastoral scene that didn’t seem all that comfortable but the viewer has a problem putting their finger on why.
I see figures in the future images that might not have their place or perhaps give the viewer pause to explain why the figure exists in the scene whether it be a ghost or just an image that doesn’t fit in the scene. 
The Lamp Posts
I am excited about new paintings because I have never felt so clear on the final mechanics than I have in recent paintings. The painting called Moon flower shows the moon from the bottom of a tree looking up-the detail in the flowers were very clear, what was left with less detail made itself clear immediately. Another good aspect of the final product being so clear is the fact that the recent paintings have taken a month as opposed to years as previously.
My question to artists, photographers and just creatives in general-when did you finally feel like you had discovered your style, where mechanics of your images become clear and concise?
Moon flower

Articles on travel

Rebooting for organization, balancing creativity with marketing

I have recently had a ridiculously busy time of painting where I ended up with upwards of forty new paintings, pet cartoons, tshirts and UNvalentines greeting cards-after this great manic production period I am left with the interim of creativity. After a few weeks of not knowing what to do with myself mixed with a bit of paintings being debuted, I have decided to reboot my processes. To be successful in a business that stems from a manic stream of creativity, we creative types must find a bit of order. Creativity without some sort of discipline is scattered paintings and madness with nothing being sold and needing instead to hire a person to handle marketing procedures.

I don’t believe each can be done together as effectively as one professional handling the marketing and the artist handling the creative work, I do believe there needs to be and can be a happy medium. My first step was to cull an email account from 10,000+ emails down to less than 500, an amazing and daunting task in itself. I have gone through old files and paperwork and literally dug myself out of a mound of paperwork. I believe that once I am not under a mountain of confusion and disorder the discipline and order of marketing will be able to coincide with the manic state of creativity.

I am excited about the prospect of getting to read emails, assess multiple galleries where I have my work and plan for the next step of marketing when the creativity is reignited. So how do you find organization? How do you maintain a balance between creativity and production and the principles and objectives of marketing your work. Would love to hear your input and comments on rebooting for organization and balancing art with marketing.

Articles on travel

Rememberance

I watched the clouds swirling
I watched the light in rich ambers and greys
She smiled
I heard the sound of guitar chords
And voices somber
I was not part of the group
An outsider
But I could feel the pangs of sadness
A rich atmosphere
As thick as the clouds
That parted ways
Watched the final embers of light fade
And the balloons
Blue and red rose weightless and beautiful
I saw your picture
You were an angel,
So much hope in eyes
So hopeless
The balloons rose into the clouds
The warm golden light
Touched everything
And I would almost hazard a guess
You were forgiven
I felt your presence
As the cool breeze gave way
To a golden sky
I watched the candles light
I watched the warmth spread
People hugged each other
They reflected across the lake
Your absence was felt
Even by those who never were lucky enough
To know you
I felt peace across the water
I felt silence like a whisper
And above me as the light dispersed
That quiet air lingered
I talked to my son
He felt it too
Said the words we all should say
Sadly watched that last balloon
Rise and fade away…..

Articles on travel

The Art of the Night Sky

The art of the night sky
For years I’ve been painting subject matter that inspire me, most often glorifying the natural world. In the last four or five years I have come to specialize in two particular subject matters, water as a regular staple-its’ clarity and reflective quality and more recently the silence and mystery of the night sky.
I think both venues are mysterious in their own way and I think that is the aspect of nature that inspires me. I aim to capture the quiet, peaceful moments that are haunted by some intangible presence, those less than comfortable shadows where we are intrigued as much as we are unnerved. I aim at capturing the silence that speaks louder than words and the awe of a sunset where we watch in a silent pause.
 
The night sky is both complex as it is deep and mysterious. There is a temptation to go too dark or too bright-I have strayed between the two junctions in painting this subject matter. The night sky has just as much, if not more than the landscape in daylight. I started with exaggerating the light and darkness and have recently found my happy medium.
I’ve noticed from a recent camping trip that the depth of the sky is  composed of barely discernable blue stars, a mid range of mildly bright stars and then the foreground stars that set off the entire sky with light. I have noticed how the eye moves through the scene and the stars twinkle as stars become visible and other stars fade into the darkness. The next step is how the light reflects on the landscape and the water. I want the viewer to watch the sky and get lost in the silence of stars-the title of my latest painting.
I intend of mixing the two venues in the near future by adding water to the darkness-some new paintings on the sketch pad is the ocean peir at night, the ocean surf at night and a fountain that is lit up by the light of natural and manmade processes. I will continue to bend the movement of water and the light and dark, creating a statement about nature, it’s mystery and the secrets of the evening sky.
To artists and collectors-how have you found your subject matter and how did it develop over the years? For the collector-what paintings or pictures capture your interest and why do you think it captures you interest?

Articles on travel



Rememberance: A moment of realization of life and the fragility of the human spirit.

My son and I went fishing at our neighborhood park, we were both agitated from a day of work, school and just all around daily stresses. We both snapped at each other and carried the stresses of the day with us but we were trying to unwind with an evening of fishing. We ended up being spectators at a rememberance for a young girl that had recently committed suicide. What we both gained through the experience was perspective on the way we carry through our daily stress and the fleeting fragility of life.

I didn’t know any of the details, I just heard the music and could barely discern what seemed to be a eulogy. The amazing thing about the evening was that everything stopped for a moment, the birds stopped singing, the water was still and the clouds parted to allow a great warm light on the water. You could call all of this imagination or coincidence but it was the presence we both could feel. It was sad but it almost seemed hopeful, the light shined on the water and made an incredible display on the lake. We both thought of the way we treat each other and how much we appreciate the people around us that we call friends and family.
As the blue and red balloons left the ground and rose into the sky, it was as dramatic as it was symbolic. I could see the people hugging each other and the pain of loss and the shock was something you could feel like the start of a storm-the static feeling in the air. I’ve always said one of the saddest things when someone you love dies is the fact that nothing stops. One of the strongest memories I have of my dad dying was the fact that I had to bring the garbage in, the mundane feeling of bringing in the garbage,
the stubborn weight of the chore that seemed indifferent to my situation. I can honestly say though at this moment the world stopped, even just for a few seconds-I watched their candles reflecting in the lake as the glow grew larger and the balloons disappeared into the darkening sky,

My son and I had a talk about mortality, the sadness of the situation and how we should appreciated every day and those around us. We both left the park with a sadness but a feeling of hope, the outpouring of love and concern from the mourners and the idea that we need to tell the people we know that we care before they leave us. Sadly, she wasn’t there to see the love and the concern but with the beauty of the sunrise and the presence we both felt, I almost feel she was looking down and she had found some peace.



Articles on travel

This is one of those images that got lost for a long time, kind of faded and darkened and than was given new life. I realize now what most effects me about the night sky, it is the silence of stars, the indifference of the universe to our tiny insignificant figures. On a camping trip with my son I recently captured the night sky just before we turned into to our tents and the silence and the majesty of light in the pitch blackness capture both of our attention. We both ended up laying down in a river bed and watching the stars, I think I will never look at the stars the same again.

After that experience of listening to the intense silence of the sky and the realization of both our place in the universe and the fact that the sky at night is a multi-dimensional landscape I have not only wanted to learn more about the stars, I’ve also improved the insight I have on painting them. I start with the background the stars, the stars you barely see and move from those to the more obvious stars in the foreground-this gives the sky a depth just like a landscape. I intend on getting the stars to twinkle off of themselves-as the eyes goes through the image, stars appear and others disappear as the eye focuses on the dimensions of the stars.

The second image is a study of the lights on the water-it is more of the reflections rather than the stars. I got this idea years ago and it has only now come to completion. The inspiration usually takes longer than the actual painting it seems.

I intend on doing a very large scene of the night sky-one that maybe covers a wall-nothing like painting on a great wall-it’s very empowering and not at all intimidating-okay depends on my mood in any given day.

Articles on travel

I have sketched this image out so many times and have added and subtracted from the original idea. My main focus for this image is the depth, the road takes you back into the sunrise. Its a scene I see all the time as I drive around the country in north Texas.

It was a hard transition from New Jersey to Texas, the landscape is totally different, I have had to find beauty in things that are different from where I grew up. As you can see no water and no night sky which have both become my specialties over the years. I wanted to concentrate on the details in the foreground and let the viewer be able to get lost in the sky and the field in the background.

Even the colors are a bit of a departure from my standard work, this series is kind of a jumping off point as I am trying to enlarge the scope of what I paint and not be bogged down by not being as familiar with the image or techniques but the payoff has been a fresh spontaneous approach to my painting, the closest I have ever painted to en plein air. I have really enjoyed this new series and feel like it is a stepping stone to what I am really interested in painting and perfecting. Stay tuned, many new and different images are already finished and about to be revealed. Thanks for reading.

Detail of Sunflowers
Articles on travel

First of all, this is not my photograph, my phone battery happened to run down on the day we went on Tenkiller Lake in Oklahoma. So this is my sons image from his phone. It was another amazing evening watching the colors of the sky change and getting skunked again by the illusive smallmouth bass-I’m eager to get back to the largemouth, a more cooperative species of bass-that’s my story any way.

So on this lake, I was amazed with the clarity of the water-you could see to the bottom and the color of the water was deep blue to green getting more vibrant blue as the sun faded into the horizon. We were in a perfect place for the smallmouth, deep areas under rocky ledges, giant slabs of stones in deep cold water areas and yet nothing. I swear they’re laughing at us down there but I digress.

It was still an incredible evening, we watched as the sun went down and as he continued to fish from shore I photographed the trees as the sun made shapes and silhouettes of the branches. After a long time of just enjoying being there we stayed in a cabin and realized we had bought too much fish-all in all a wonderful night and even though we didn’t catch a damn thing-the time we had in nature, just kayaking and enjoying the moment-it was a priceless perfect trip.

When I returned from the trip I painted an image to show just how clear and amazing the water was, I was impressed with the colors of the autumn leaves floating across the electric blue water. I studied the depth and clarity of the water and from sketches and photos created the third in my new series of paintings.