Pick a Simple and Change Styles
Tape a piece of paper into 4 rectangular section either vertical or horizontal pieces. We all have a preference and mine is definitely horizontal for representational paintings and vertical for abstracts. Get out your painting or drawing tools. Have a simple subject in mind, for this jumpstart my theme is pine trees, rocks and water, with reflections. In the first box, I will quickly paint a very representational piece using lots of value, accurate color, and details really emphasizing the exact nature of the theme, In the second box I will try a more impressionistic piece one that is closer in value and has a nice color and light feeling but less representational accuracy.
In the next rectangle I move to a very expressive, textural brushwork piece, striving to capture the energy and feel of the theme not just the exact nature of reality. I am using colors and marks that feel like the subject. It is fun and action filled. The last piece is a total abstraction based on the forms I feel and relationships I want and it is not a copy of the other 3 studies. Abstracting the shapes is about my desire to say the least about the subject but yet still have a strong relationship to the theme.
Try to repeat this exercise` with different themes. Work in a thoughtful yet quick fashion always beginning with the representational and ending with the expressive abstractions. Spend about an hour at a time on the whole process. Remember we are trying to jumpstart our creative selves not make this our only creative experience. Creativity requires in depth thinking, new boundaries, and improved language.
Turn on the music and turn off the phone.
Tell your spouse or roomies you are busy
What a great way to spend a limited amount of time and express something meaningful in subtly different ways and in a limited space.