Sometimes Commissions can be intimidating.....

 For 3 days now, I have been staring at a large white canvas on my easle.  I was very excited to receive a commission recently and couldn't wait to get started, however when I got the canvas up and ready I suddenly hit a blank.  Now don't get me wrong this was a painting I was REALLY excited about doing.  In my head it was half done, but when confronted with that blank canvas on the Easle, for some reason every bit of inspiration flew out of the window! I looked and looked at it everytime I went into the studio, but there was always something to distract me from picking up the brushes. They were little things , I told myself I wanted to get rid of any of the small "things to do" before I started, but it was pure procrastination turns out.

Yesterday, I finally decided that I would paint the edges of a few smaller paintings that were completed and were standing around for weeks, waiting for a signature and edges to be done.
I squeezed some fresh paint out to paint the edges and did what had to be done. It felt good to finally be in my studio again.  I put my music on and just did it. 

There was a fair amount of paint left on the palette once I had completed the edges, and I added some genuine turps to make the paint fluid and thought I would just slap it onto the large canvas to break the white staring back at me...... and then it happened , I started having fun, not trying too hard or even having reference material, I just went with the flow and voila....... I realized that I had started my Commission. What a great feeling!

It just takes a smalll action to change the energy that can stop us from getting started.  Almost like it opens the airways.  I like to look at it as energy, because I find this can happen with anything. If we get out of a routine that is healthy for us, one small action, like going for a dip in the ocean can cleanse the soul to such an extent that you feel revived and restored again, to start something that you have been dragging your heels to get into.. In the same way by squeezing out some fresh paint, can be like diving into the Ocean.....

"The key to successfully working on a Commission is your ability to be flexible 

and communicate with the person who hires you"

Struggling with Artists' Block...

We all at times struggle to feel inspired.  Even the great Artists, The Old Masters, struggled with this. I didn't  believe it, until I read a number of autobiographies by great artists and the common thread was that they ALL from time to time, struggled with a feeling of emptiness,  with no bright ideas on the horizon, and this often led to what is known as artists block
  .
This is how I overcome Artists' Block.


TAKE A BREAK......This is when one has to force oneself to get out into nature, take a walk , have a swim, smell the roses.

MAKE A COMMITMENT..... Then get to your easle, no matter how many stories you tell yourself that you have no desire to paint, or even to be at your easle. Sometimes by forcing yourself to JUST BE THERE, is enough to get the flow going.   Tell yourself, it's a good day to clean up, wash your brushes, clean your paints, get your painting area tidy.  That is often enough to get the ideas going.  Suddenly you see something, an old painting, a photograph or an idea randomly pops into your head. Before you know it, you're on your way.  You may just end up with a masterpiece!

HAVE A TRIGGER ..... A piece of music that you love has a way of getting you directly into the zone. Always start a session in your painting space/studio with the same piece of music so it becomes synonymous with your painting time. I also like to light a candle/and or some incense which reminds me of my connection to the Divine.

PREPARE CANVASSES .......You can  prepare some small (or large) canvasses when you are not inspired. That way they will be ready for you to pick up whenever you are wanting to try something new or when you need to get the juices flowing. I like to do a small painting first if I have an idea for a large one. It helps me to get the colour balance and the composition correct.

And lastly ...................................SKETCH SKETCH SKETCH!

"Homeward Bound" Southern Drakensberg, KZN. www.dianeerasmus.com 

"INSPIRATION EXISTS, BUT IT HAS TO FIND YOU WORKING"

Pablo Picasso