Recharging your creative batteries

When you need creative inspiration the best thing to do is get out and look at art. Walking the galleries down in Chelsea with two artist buddies was refreshing, overwhelming and inspiring! I'm constantly amazed at the range of artistic expression--from figures sculpted out of folded newspapers, wire sculptures that twirl like dandelion puffs on the breeze to large scale florals that are on fire with color. And the works that are truly great often take familiar themes and look at the them with a bold, new angle.
I'm definitely looking to do something on a larger scale--so many subjects present themselves to be painted it can get overwhelming, but I've found I just need to sit and listen to them until one idea is jumping up and down and yelling "paint me!" louder than the others.
Workshops are also a terrific learning experience and a way to get fired up again about making art. I just finished a weekend workshop sponsored by the Art League of Nassau County at Clark Gardens in Alberton with a wonderful oil painter and teacher, Howard Rose. He was generous with his knowledge of painting. It was an excellent experience for me since I'm still learning my way around oil paints--I still love my watercolors, but the oils give a softer, richer look for landscapes that I like very much.
Let's keep slinging that paintbrush!