I currently have a fresh canvas resting on the easel… waiting for the application of the first layer of paint.
One of the most exciting things for me about being an artist is that it gives me a wonderful opportunity to learn about things that I may have never been exposed to otherwise. Before I started working on Trout 66. I spent many hours researching to learn as much about Brown Trout that I could, their anatomy and physiology their unique characteristics and what made them different from other fish. When I finally got to the point of painting them on the canvas I was able to really comprehend what it might be like to be a trout (as much as I could). Because of this I was able to create on the canvas painting them from the inside outward. I learned where all their organs were located, their bones and scales. I even went one afternoon to a local fish market to see the fish up close and touch them so I understood exactly what their bodies felt like. By doing this I had a greater appreciation of what I was creating. During this process each individual fish took on its own personality. I was not just painting a picture I was painting a portrait. This elevated the painting to a different level of understanding for me.
To be honest, if it was not for that painting, I would not have taken time to research all those books and learned all I did about brown trout. But in the end, I am glad that the opportunity presented itself.
So …after returning back from that voyage through the workings of my creative process… and the fact that we are moving closer to “spring like” weather. All the bugs I have seen have fascinated me. I know the word “bugs” makes some of you cringe, and for that I am sorry… but I am finding them so inspiring. I have seen ants, moths and other random insects… but the ones that have my full attention… beetles. I want to know everything I can learn about them. Just in doing a little searching online I have seen some of the most beautiful beetles, their coloring and patterns are amazing. So just as a warning the next painting just might have something to do about bugs… more specifically beetles!
I can wait to see how this will inform my next painting….
The process opens new vistas.