Steve Fleming

Artist Studio

Creative Jumpstart: Pick a familiar subject

Jumpstarts
Watercolors

8 x 10 watercolor on arches

I once read a passage from the great painter John Sargent that said something to the effect, “when outdoors give yourself 15 minutes and then paint what you are looking at”.  This is good advice for the artist looking to get more creative because we spend so much time thinking and pondering the perfect paintable subject that we forget to just do something.

For this exercise look around you to the really familiar and grab four or five small little subjects and paint them.  Again the reason for these jumpstarts is to get you moving and thinking like a creative soul, to use the time available no matter how short and brief.  Use your time to learn to incorporate the creative into your everyday life.  Not just the perfect 3 hours with the most fabulous subject.  You might spend your whole life looking around and never become an artist.

I am using flowers as my subject and I will tell you right up front they are not my specialty they are just something I love to paint.  Others are much better than I am but they do present the perfect subject for a quick 10 to 15 minute study.

8 x 10 watercolor on arches

18 x 24 arches block

8 x 10 watercolor

1 Comments on “Creative Jumpstart: Pick a familiar subject”

  1. that good your idea of ​​sharing this thought with us. You know that recently in my 55 years I start to paint. I am retired doctor and spent much time studying fascinates me what I can learn online. Luckily I also read that, I will try to put it into practice. very pretty flowers. “Sometimes you want to learn in one year did not learn everything in life”

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