I would normally have posted a blog entry this week but have been too busy and exhausted to do so. You see, I%92m in the middle of painting/fixing up my kitchen and dining rooms. I%92ll be very happy with the results but in the meantime, I%92m finding no time to do anything else. Look for my next blog entry on the 1st of April (no April Fool%92s day jokes, I promise...) Suzette

I hate to admit this, but my work often involves a lot of trial and error. By that, I mean that I start out without a full plan of what I%92m going to do, and then I proceed step by step, often changing direction in the process if what I%92m doing is not proving satisfactory.

When I used to paint representational subject matter, I would choose a composition, usually from a photograph that I had taken. I would draw it out and then paint it. In other words, I had it planned right from the start.

That%92s no longer how I work. Since I started doing abstract work, it%92s quite the opposite. I start out with an idea, usually something simple like %92I%92ll work with red and green%92, or %92I%92ll work with geometric shapes%92 or %92I%92ll start with a heavily textured base from modelling paste%92. A simple idea. A simple concept to be built upon one step at a time, changing and adjusting as the painting develops.

Sometimes, when I get frustrated and allow negative thoughts to invade my mind, I start to think that the reason why I go through so much trial and error is because I%92m not good enough, not creative or skilled enough, or I didn%92t plan and prepare ahead, I%92m a fake, my better paintings are the results of accidents rather than skill....... Fortunately, I don%92t allow negative thoughts to prevail too often or for very long.

I believe that for most of us, the creative process is a struggle; it does not come easily. It is a sweet agony. Sweet because we love it, and agony because it is a struggle. Would I ever give it up? Not on your sweet life.

Share your struggles by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette

"A bird doesn%92t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." (Maya Angelou)

I have just returned today from one of my favourite get-aways, a painting trip with my best friend and painting buddy. We went to Pender Island for a week. We were in a great location, did lots of painting, also enjoying a lot of down time. What a way to recharge our artistic batteries.

Those painting trips provide me with much inspiration. Immersing myself in the artist%92s life, visiting studios and galleries, and devoting plenty of time to painting, those are the things that inspire me and keep me going. I came home with 2 new paintings, one finished, the other almost finished, so I%92m very pleased with the trip. I%92ll post pictures of the new works as soon as I can.

Talking about inspiration, one of my friends and fellow artists, recently asked me where to find inspiration, how to decide what to paint. She has not been painting long and she finds it difficult to find subjects. Since I%92m running late with my blog, because of my trip last week, I%92ll share with you my response to her.

Finding inspiration can be difficult. For me, it%92s a matter of finding something that touches me, that I find beautiful, either for the shape, or the colour, or something. Take lots of photographs. Try to figure out what it is that you like in a scene, for example in a landscape, is it the shape of the trees, or is it the sky and the clouds, or the light in the sky; with flowers, is it the shape, colour or arrangement, or all three? Once you have determined that, you can focus on that element in particular and adjust the rest of the painting to %92feature%92 that particular element.

I used to have the same problem. I found it easier when I started to paint flowers. It was so easy to get inspired. I would suggest you go and buy some fresh cut flowers that you like and take lots of pictures. Arrange them differently. Big bunches, little bunches, in a vase, in a bowl, lying on a table, etc. etc. Take close-ups of each flower. Flowers in a vase make a nice subject always, but for me, I preferred close-ups. Great big flowers up close. So spend an afternoon setting up different scenarios, take a ton of pictures, and you%92ll have inspiration for months to come.

After painting flowers for a while, I didn%92t have any problem getting inspired. There seemed to be more ideas than time to paint. So get to it, start painting, painting, painting. That%92s the only way to learn and get better.

"Don%92t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working". (Henri Matisse)

What inspires you? Share your inspiration by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette