Monthly Archives: January 2014
Pastel Painting ; Other weapons for the Battle
Living in the Moment?
Desperately Seeking Tranquility
Today I was originally going to discuss stress but we can’t go away from an idea. Today I am going to talk about peace of mind as it pertains to us creative people.
The misconception out there is that “the creative”, just floats through life from one painting or poem to another singing la la la. You and I both know that we are often heavy laden with burdens just like anyone else. The compound of this is the fact that it effects our creativity and often gets in the way. Personal and professional lives are much more difficult for us the separate. These words from Jesus help me::
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:22-26 NIV)
This is something I need to keep in front of my mind at all times, because in our 9 to 5 jobs we can sometimes fly on autopilot but not when it comes to our creative endeavors. Not only does the art suffer, it often shuts down all together.
With all of this said, let’s always move towards peace of mind and don’t carry all the burdens on our backs. Jesus also said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)
Freedom of stress frees us to share the beauty within us to the world. The world sorely needs that. Do you agree?
God Bless,
Tim
Winter Experiences
Winter is surely here. There is no mistake about this. The temperatures throughout the United States were around zero or below . It reminds me of the “winter experiences” we all share in life. A time when we seek warmth, shelter and protection from the harsh elements in the outside world.
Our Winter experiences are a time for contemplation and memories of the summer that seems like it was a lifetime ago. As artists writers and musicians we hunker down in our studios to create the spring that is within our hearts. The pristine white of the canvas, like that of the carpet of fresh snow outside is just waiting to be renewed into something vibrant and fertile. The dormant buds on the bare tree branch against the steel gray sky is but a drawing of spring’s promises.
As creative spirits, we can see the unseen on the blank page or be sparked by a single word to create a poem of extreme warmth and life. Let us see the winter slumber as a time rebirth and hope Its only in the quiet winter mornings can we listen to the still small voice within us all.
Breathe Life in Your Morning Routine
Did you know that most of the things that we create art with start out as dust? Charcoal, graphite, paint and pastel and ink all begin in a powdered state. We as artists and writers, have the blessing of turning dust into something that has life and vitality! It is the gift of creation from God.
Some of us have hour long commutes and some are just a few feet from the bedroom to the home office. Either way, we have the choice how to start our days before we begin the work day. Just as we turn that dust into a sketch,in into a paragraph, a painting or an idea, we can create life into a lifeless morning. Like the Phoenix, out of the ashes, we rise into someone who can recreate the ashes into strength and beauty. You have the ability to turn the ordinary into the amazing.
You are not common and your morning commute should not be either. Let your passions, your creativity and strength breathe. Do not be afraid of turning the dust into beauty.
I am the featured artist on The New York Optimist Magazine!
This week I have the honor of being the featured artist on the online magazine, The New York Optimist! www.thenewyorkoptimist.com
Airbrush Portrait of a Young Woman
Trusting in Closed Doors
Klimt’s Muse
On my morning and evening commute these past few months I have been reading the biographies of various artists. Artists that I am interested in. Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) Austrian Painter, was a fascinating artist. His work went from a stark academic style to his “Gold Period”, however, and finally to his lyrical expressionistic and decorative style later in his life. however, as a constant throughout his career, that constant was his obsession with the female form.
Having this same obsession since I can remember, I feel a kinship with Klimt. The female form as a means of expression is not anything original throughout art history, but it is personal for every artist. As it was personal for Gustav Klimt, it is for me. What is it about women that a painter can donate their career to the pursuit of her beauty, mystery, and expression?
When I was a child I drew childish things, such as, battleships and dinosaurs but as I grew older, I have mainly painted women. Artists that I have admired throughout history such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne-Jones have had similar subject matter. Some say that poetry and painting are “sister arts”. A good argument is that women are the embodiment of the poetic, thus bridging the two sister arts into one expression.
A sunset, a stunning landscape or male figure are all beautiful subjects and worthy of art and the attention of the artist; However there is something a little more electric, for me, about the artists who were dedicated to the expression of woman; woman as muse, woman as subject and woman as poetry.
God Bless,
Tim