Walking and creativity.

Each day when I am in the studio I walk. It makes me more productive. I have always felt a slight bit guilty about this "waste of time" but now I have found research that backs up what I have always believed. Walking ignites the brain. It helps you think and be more creative.

Below is an excerpt from the article with a link to the whole piece. I think it was post on November 27th.
PS The pastel above was a memory piece that took many walks to complete.


Walking makes you more creative

If you’ve ever gone on a walk, it can be a surreal experience in terms of how your mind starts to think. The creativity just starts to flow, for one reason or another. In fact, a recent study done at Stanford has proved this theory out. They discovered that walking can boost your creative output by about 60%, not only in the moment, but even a few hours after.

Furthermore, nearly 81% of individuals felt more creative when they were walking. So next time you’re in need of some creative insights, get those legs moving.

Read:   Why the Greatest Minds Take Long Walks

by Aly Juma, alyjuma.com

sunset and rothko

15x15 oil with pastel added

"The most important tool the artist fashions though constant practice is faith in his ability to produce miracles when they are needed" Mark Rothko 1948
Miracles, yep that is what painting is all about. We look at a blank canvas and make something appear. It's difficult to find information about Rothko's process. He was very secretive about it and let no one in his studio.  I continue to look at Rothko's work I find I am fascinated by his edges. All the action is there. He creates a little game of hide and seek. Using simultaneous contrast in veils like whispers he creates those beautiful miracles. Edges matter most. Miracles...wow, it's a hard business.

PS One an amazing note today, one of the young artists I teach, unsolicited by me, said," Wow, it's amazing! This was just a white paper before I started. Now this beautiful city is here looking real. (6 years old Evan)  Boy, does he get miracles. I will post his pastel painting after I photograph it.

PPS This is a memory painting, the first one produced solely in my new studio (here it is Sam.)

new method

10x10 pastel on UArt

 Exciting times and a new method! As always I am painting in layers, but this time the layers are different. All my time spent painting in the studio(with oil) is changing my ways. Originally it was Richard McKinley who peaked my interest in this new method. I still use my favorite paper, Uart, but I now start with NuPastels (a very hard pastel normally not my favorite because of it fugitive nature.) A light pastel layer in place, I next use Spectra-Fix as if it was water. It makes the pastel move, but also gives it a shiny, thicker surface. Next comes another liquid layer- a transparent layer of watercolor. The watercolor moves in and out with the spectra-fix layer, creating a similar vibration as the marble dust did....sort of like glazing with oils. After that dries I finish with soft pastel. It takes less pastel since so much of the underpainting does the work. The method allows me to focus on the edges in a different way.

Great quote of the week:
"In order to use color effectively, it is necessary to realize that color deceives continually." Josef Albers

 Think simultaneous contrast.