Artists are not like athletes. We cannot win gold. We cannot beat other creatives. We cannot come first. Sport is objective. Our craft is subjective. Creating to ‘be the best’ is a waste of energy. Instead, the aim is to connect to the people who need us to feed their soul. It is a soul level experience.
I am out there. I am creating in my own unique way.
“What is the process”?, is what people like to know. My students receive video’s on a consistent basis about the steps I take. I cannot follow my own process while painting, but the camera can.
It starts with an idea. The idea is often called inspiration. In the case of the surrounding pictures my inspiration was the series of ‘Girl in a Kimono’ from George Hendrik Breitner, a Dutch impressionistic painter who died 100 years ago.
The first painting was the ‘Dreamweaver’ which I painted in Indianapolis, dreaming about the tropics. There was something in the softness of the silk and the way he painted that resonated with me. I could almost feel it on my skin smooth like the humidity in the air in the tropics. I imagined zen gardens, mystic temples and lanterns. It evoked a longing to the abundance of the tropics, lush gardens and heavy fragrance.
During the 13 years I lived in the tropics again, I could study the lush gardens.
Right before I left for Asheville, I sat in the garden and painted ‘plein air’ six new canvasses to take with me. These are the paintings I am working on today. The process is a mixture of skill, experience, judgement, and emotion. The dynamics go back and forth in a never ending game. The day I declare them finished is not the final day.
Here is a tour of my studio, https://vimeo.com/931512569?share=copy
Northlight studio’s, 357 Depot street, Asheville
