when you are uninspired and new show!

pastel, oil paint, gold leaf, marble dust

Do you feel uninspired to paint?
I was recently talking with a close friend, an excellent painter, who expressed this feeling. She explained that house work needed to be done first, saving the tired parts of the day for her creative self.
If I can give you one piece of advice, and only one, it is take care of your creative spirit and feed her regularly. She is an important part of yourself. Schedule her time each day. If you have a full time job, get up at least an hour earlier and do a small piece. (I did this for a years.)
If it is that you feel uninspired by cranking out painting after painting without joy, make joy. Take an old painting that has no hope wash it or scrape it down and then see what you have. It's one of my most fun things to do. You can have no fear and live by, "what happens if I do......?" Use different materials. This painting was a scrape down and add piece. Gold leaf, oil glazes and pastels were part of its recipes.
Change format. I usually love the square. When I need a jump start I go to an elongated rectangle...once even a circle!
And last a technique I learned from Elizabeth Mowry- Have a sit-down talk with 5 paintings that are in your studio that you like. Rank them in order of appeal and then articulate why. This should give you food for thought.

Enjoy the spring! And if you are looking for something to do this weekend come to DC. Flowering trees, warmish temperatures and my new show at the Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda. Its a couple of miles outside of DC right at the Bethesda Metro stop on the red line.  The reception is April 8th 6-9pm.