The Creative Habit

I'm reading "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp, a book recommended by Alyson Stanfield (www.artbizcoach.com). The reason I like this book is that for many years I believed the myth that artists, because of their creative nature, are predisposed to be unorganized, undisciplined and unstructured. The myth supports the notion that the truly creative individual is somehow exempt from any sort of structure in their lives. As a result, I've met more artists that are completely disorganized and wondering why they are getting nowhere with their art.

I have since come to believe that in order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. You have to have discipline and focus, two qualities that most people don't generally associate with creative individuals. This book emphasizes the need for preparation in your creative life, whether you are an artist, engineer, teacher or other.

Penny's portrait, final

Here is the finished portrait of Penny. It only varies slightly from step 3. I added whiskers, a few defining strokes to the body and a little more definition in the shadows.

Penny's portrait, step 2

The background is finished and Penny's form is taking shape. I especially like the loose edges of her tail and upper body. Step 3 will be mostly refining a few areas and adding last details. That last stage is where my painting's often meet their downfall. Learning to STOP and leave an area alone has been the hardest lesson to learn.

Penny's portrait, step 1

This portrait was a surprise anniversary gift from one of Penny's owners to the other. I spent an hour with Penny taking over 100 photos of her, mostly to get to know her. Between the photo session and talking with Penny's owner, I found a direction for the portrait. We decided the painting should be loose and colorful, focusing more on the intuitive side of Penny's personality than a photo recreation. The recipient loves the color red, so I made sure to incorporate it into the painting right away. I also used blue and yellow, colors that are symbolic for intelligence and patience. Those were two qualities I noticed about Penny right away.

More sketches

More from my sketchbook:

Clockwise: Pepper sleeping; dog doodles; blind contours, and a late night self portrait

Opera Stories

Here are all the "Opera Stories" paintings together. Starting with the first image, they are "Act III, Wozzeck's Anguish", "American Tragedy", "Tosca", "Le Mystere de Papa Loko" and "Desire, Death and Divas".

Why opera paintings? The first one "Act III" was a fluke, it evolved from a photograph I had taken of my son. Since then, I've become enthralled with those fantastic, passionate stories of operas.

Sketchbook doodles

I completed three commisssioned portraits this month but can't post any of them yet, since the clients are giving them as surprise gifts. So, I thought I'd post something a little different.

I try to sketch regularly. I've found that late night or early morning allows me to sketch my family from life without them complaining or leaving in the room. I get them when they are sleeping! I still need to work quickly because they are a squirmy bunch, but generally I can get a good rough study in.

Michelangelo Caravaggio

My favorite books to read are biographies of artists. Right now I'm reading "Caravaggio: A Passionate Life". Not your everyday post-Rennaissance painter, Caravaggio was hot-tempered and often violent. He was a brilliant painter whose style of painting (chiarascuro) brought high drama and emotional intensity to his paintings. He was notorious for brawling and in a duel killed a young man. He spent the rest of his life on the run. Caravaggio died at the age of 39 on his way to receive a pardon for his crime.