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Artist responses from emailing to Open Studio. Artists talk about their inspiration.
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Inspiration Source: hard work
Your Name:Anthony Holdsworth
Your Email:anthonyholdsworth@yahoo.com
Your Webpage:
www.anthonyholdsworth.com
http://www.proartsgallery.org/ebos2001/artists/AnthonyHoldsworth.html
Your Comments: I am not the kind of artist who waits
for or feels the need for inspiration. I have always
worked hard at my painting. I have found that when I
focus my attention and my energies I enter the
painting and an exchange takes palace between me and
the work. So that I know what I have to do. There is
only one way to proceed and that way is exhilarating.
Caught up in this exhilaration is an intense
apprehension of light. The subject matter itself is
often irrelevant. Though usually the more ordinary it
is the better.
But this state of 'inspiration' almost never comes to
me. I have to seek it out by absorbing myself in
painting. It's the reason I paint. I'd probably be
homeless if I could achieve this state by waiting
around.
I discovered this in my high school painting class
when I was introduced to oil paints by my art teacher
Loring Coleman. But it took me a few years, until I
was twenty-two, to realize that I couldn't live
without this heightened experience of reality.
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Inspiration Source: from everywhere, lots of insights.
Wendy Meg Siegel wendymegs@yahoo.com
I guess you could say I got inspired to write to you...here is what I wrote when I reflected on the theme of inspiration... good luck with your project and let me know if you have any questions or would like any additional information. I wrote it thinking of inspiration in relationship to artwork but the same is true with other aspects of our lives, not just with art.
Inspiration...
Inspiration IS ..it is all around me. It is in the air, in every color, in every shape. Anything and everything can inspire. It can be found in any moment and in every cell within my being. Inspiration is an unlimited, ever present experience that never is depleted.
Time and space are the only limits as to the manifestation of that inspiration into form.
The flow of inspiration is continuous. There is an ebb and flow to the intensity of the inspiration. There seems to be times of heightened inspiration in which more ideas for new paintings and new artforms come at a rapid fire rate, usually without the time and opportunity to produce them all. At these times I receive a flow of ideas that is so intense that if I didn't have a family and I didn't need sleep to function I would choose to be creating nonstop, 24 hours a day. Times like this are so energizing and filled with bright lights and colors. It is like my veins have been filled with an effervescent compound and the excitement is almost overwhelming.
Not that this excitement does not come to me in any moment at other times. Just the process of working and being open to the new ideas that are sparked during the creation of new pieces. And oh, how exciting to allow the flow of ideas from one series of artwork to the next. They all lead to what is coming next. So being in the flow of work is one of the greatest inspirational triggers that there is.
Inspiration comes while walking down the street, brushing teeth or washing my face. In the simple things of life. everything has a form and any form can be translated to your individual style and artform.
I know that for me there are times that it is best to step back from the work and process life and rest from the creative process. And then when I am renewed it is time to go back.. out of this comes more inspiration. I would guess to some, if one were to push themselves to create during these times. it may be difficult and appear as if their inspiration were missing. My feeling is that there are times to create and times to step back as in everything in life and it is important to go with the flow. Of course, I have a huge amount of creative energy and have a history of abundant inspiration therefore I have reason to fully trust in the flow of new ideas. This trust must be one of the keys, along with allowing the flow to take you where it will. It is a wonderful ride.
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Inspiration Source: secondary to the primary idea
anthony capadona [anthonycapadona@hotmail.com]
SF open studios photogarpher
Inspiration is a moment when all things are secondary to the primary idea. The idea is that which can be defined or undefined. Inspiration is somewhat of a pleasure mixed with feeling. It is what drives me to live. It is a perspective. It is something to look for. Inspiration is related to imagination.
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Inspiration Source: from life's struggle
carolyn crampotn crampton@webhippie.com
SF open studios
this is like the book that I would write if
I have time...similar. Of course since we are open studio artists we are a
little busy right now.
inspiration:
I think it comes from a somewhat squelched childhood that even with the aid of
adult therapy keeps resonating, keeps me hungry or wanting for a voice. I grew
up in the 50s a household with a domineering life-of-the-party mom. We were to
be seen and not heard. Our daddy drowned in a horrible scene which my mother
couldn't really relate to me until just this summer. My mother was single most
of her life. My older sister and I had 2 stepfathers, one of whom was sexually
abusive. He once told me he'd bury me in the backyard if I ever told. I had many
other problems with male sexual predators as I grew up...it was constant.
So I was a quiet, good child. I rebelled later, leaving home, putting myself
through college rather than take 'their' money, starting a punk band--even being
an artist wasn't an acceptable thing to my family. My highschool counselor told
me I'd be a mechanical engineer...but since I was a woman that was out of the
question. My college art admittance office told me they didn't want women in the
art program because they just get married. I had to promise him I wouldn't get
married.
This sense of the world as being for others..as being shut-out in every way, as
being not safe is something that still drives my artwork. My environmental
landscapes are a way of speaking up for the wildlife and the environment which
cannot speak for themselves, as a way of protecting something that can't protect
itself. My figure paintings are generally about sexual abuse in some way. My
audience is for a younger version of myself who longed for a role model or
someone who could understand me. I feel like there generations worth of silenced
voices inside me that need to be expressed.
Art will never be about money for me. I'd like to make a living at it, esp. now
that I have been laid-off from my day job, but it's really a vocation, a
mission, or a way of knowledge for me. I don't have a choice whether or not to
be an artist.
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Inspiration Source: NATURE, LOVE, LIGHT, COLOR, SOUNDS AND SMELLS OF NATURE AND MAN
ED PENNIMAN
edpenn@druzio.com
* Do you have any specific stories of when you felt inspired?
YES WHEN I WAS A QUADRIPLEGIC AND PAINTED WITH MY MOUTH
*Do you remember the first time you felt inspired as a child?
YES IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND IS PART OF MY BIO
* What is your definition of Inspiration?
TOO LENGTHY TO GO INTO NOW
* How do you cultivate Inspiration?
TAKES MANY FORMS DEPENDING UPON WHERE MY MUSE IS HIDING
* What inspires you?
NATURE, LOVE, LIGHT, COLOR, SOUNDS AND SMELLS OF NATURE AND MAN
* What does the experience of Inspiration feel like?
I CAN SEE THAT AT YOU NEED TO INTERVIEW ME, GOOD LUCK IN THIS WORK OF YOUR. I HAVE ABOUT THIRTY VIDEO TAPES ABOUT ME, MY WORK, TV INTERVIEWS, ALSO NP ARTICLES AND A MAGAZINE OR TWO. I'D BE GLAD TO HELP IF I CAN IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO ME TO KNOW WHAT MOVES OTHER PEOPLE TOO.
Loss of Inspiration
I looked at your posting and got a
good idea of the scope of your work. I was inspired just to see what you are
doing. There is mystery in the topic.
I have been thinking a lot about the subject and was trying to define
inspiration by what usually kills it in me. The potential of full expression of
my talent gift is what causes it. What kills it is events, input and situations
that obfuscate the fulfillment of the original essential vision and the almost
immortal bliss that true inspiration brings. One creative soul stated, "Once you
begin to allow your true self to emerge, you reclaim your passion and your
inspiration follows." I thought this was germane to the essence of what I was
feeling.
I will have my inspiration killed by a client or patron of my art when the
subject of money comes up. I rarely loose inspiration from problems I have in
the process of making art. It is usually lost by interacting with spiritual
and/or inequitable interference. My inspiration can be maintained by positive
affirmation at all levels of the creative process, reminding myself that
creative expression is plastic, often amorphous and above all a process...and
that only I have the honor and charge if saying when I am finished creating.
Note: When I was a teen in the late 50's, Picasso was an outrageous mad man
artist, his work of the period was bizarre and beyond anything anyone in my
little home town could fathom. I thought it ugly. Then as a mature artist I
visited the Picasso Museum in Paris. I saw the chronological progression of his
work. Along side the work that was so outrageous in the 50's was an collection
of African Masks with traces of color. What mystified me before now hit me so
clearly. He had transitioned from Cubism and merged it with Primitivism in is
solo act of creation. It was a peak experience for me as an artist to see where
he had gotten his inspiration. I view his work now with respect and see the
elegance in what he was doing. Ed Penniman
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Inspiration Source:
life on or near the beach
Judi Gorski
SF open studios
JAGsPaints@aol.com
Thanks for contacting me. I don't really have much time to participate thoroughly in what you are doing, but I find it intriguing.
I am a painter.
I live and work in the outer sunset district in a piece of property that is
waterfront to the Pacific Ocean. On calm, sunny days I ride my bicycle along
the bike path up toward the Cliff House and look for people who are enjoying
their day at the beach. If I see someone who is dressed particularly
colorfully or who is doing something (preparing to go surfing, swimming,
taking a dog for a swim, ...) I might stop and photograph them. I use this material for subject matter in my paintings. It is the life that gathers
around the beach that seems to inspire me. I have an inner connection to
this environment and when I see others enjoying themselves in this same spot
that I love so much, to me, they are a picture that expresses my happiness
and gratefulness to live in such a beautiful place. My paintings, whether
realistic, impressionistic or abstract are pretty much about life on or near
the beach, and this source of inspiration hasn't run out for me for quite
some time.
Hope this helps. Feel free to call me, or e-mail more ... or come by the
studio. By the way, if you read this in time, tomorrow, Wednesday, between
6:30 and 7:30 pm on Channel 29 (some obscure local community channel) there
will be some talk about my artwork as well as pictures of it, if you're
interested.
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Inspiration Source: Dreams
Averell Design Services
________________
Artist's Statement - Sue Averell
Since 1999 I have been making paintings that reflect in some way both my current
home in Northern California and my roots in Southern California. Because I grew
up just outside of San Diego, I was heavily influenced by the culture of nearby
Mexico. As a child, the bright, bold colors used in Mexican art and design
seeped into my consciousness and Ive used a similar palette in my work ever
since. As an adult, my aesthetic sensibility was further solidified when I
discovered an affinity with the work of painters Wayne Thiebaud and David
Hockney. Like Thiebaud, I use bright colors, blue shadows, complimentary color
schemes, and the tint, tone, and shade method of mixing paint. And like Hockney,
I employ color and pattern in a patchwork effect that actively leads your eye
around the surface of the painting. So when I moved north to San Francisco in
1993, I brought these same artistic sensibilities to my new surroundings and
applied it to the city itself. The houses, the office buildings, and the
billboards that populate my paintings may not be actually alive, but I animate
them with bold color and loose lines in order to convey the pulse of energy I
feel coursing throughout this city. The dynamic pace of life in San Francisco
sustains and inspires me as an artist.
The aerial perspective in my paintings of San Francisco comes from dreams I have
regularly in which I fly on my own power through the city. Since I was five
years old, I have had such dreams of defying gravity. It dawned on me that I
could paint this dream world when I stood in front of a large canvas by David
Hockney at the Los Angeles County Museum. I felt like I could walk into his
world of tweaked perspective, and I became determined to find a way to do this
in my own work. I deliberately choose compositions with high horizon lines that
exaggerate the steep slopes of the hills in San Francisco, in order to give you
the sense of swooping down into the city in a free dive of pure play, like a
bird looping through the sky on a joyride. Its no coincidence that I taught
myself to paint as a child by painstakingly copying the illustrations in John
James Audubons book of birds. All these years later, it seems fitting that the
theme of flight has again resurfaced in my work.
Even the process of creating these images can be compared to flying. As a
professional illustrator, I am well-trained to render the visual world with
utmost accuracy. When I paint these cityscapes as a fine artist, I am not
required to stick to depicting the optical reality of what I see, but rather I
can take expressive liberties and work in a style that is fast, loose, and fun.
In a way, you could say I am breaking free of the gravity of strict realism and
flying freshly liberated into a sky of unlimited creative horizons. I hope you
enjoy yourself as you join me in entering the celestial space in my paintings to
flit among familiar and beloved landmarks in this wonderful city.
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Inspiration Source: simply be me, new music, nature, read, new art, honesty.
Katharina Short artwork@tinashort.com
Sounds like an interesting project you are working
on. one that has many interesting facets to it. I would be happy to respond .
My definition of inspiration varies form day to day. some days it is what is
happening politically in the world. i create to work my way out of the corners
that i feel the media and society tries to sell us. The idea that we have to be
scared, or frightened for example, will prompt me to create a piece which
explores the opposite of fear, complete trust and openness...
i cultivate inspiration by reminding myself that to be inspired is to be open.
when i come too close to being too opinioned and weighted in my life, i fail to
see the truer beauty of life, which in my opinion is the balance between the
extremes in all areas. Inspiration is cultivated by honesty, and simplicity.
The experience of inspiration feels like a wind picks me up and lofts me out
beyond the normal every day trivialities of life. Being inspired comes form
allowing myself to connect with other peoples' life stories, and respecting the
link of all people. it is like a web running through all life, elevating
perspective to see the better more healing ways of creating life...? make sense.
geez, i hope
When i am not inspired i often feel like i am in a dark tunnel trying to find my
way. when i am not inspired i am trying too hard to push the agenda of being an
artist, of having to create. Rather , it is better to simply be me and let it
come through me.
If I loose my sense of inspiration, i often will stop and regroup for a
while. i will listen to new music, regroup in nature, read, see new art, try to
find my center, and honesty again. it happens about once a year, and often I
forget that it is cyclical, and all i have to do is recognize it.
I turn my inspiration into art by doing what I have always done and that is to
trust blindly that I really shouldn't question it anymore.
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Inspiration Source: work related,
Your Name: Barbara Schubert
Your Email: bschubert2002@yahoo.com
Your Webpage: www.stare.net/schubert
Your Comments:
My work is generally inspired by
words. A series that I recently finished I wanted to
be illustrations for an alphabet book. So I thought
about what image can I use for "A" , "B", etc.? Other
works have been inspired by competition titles such as
"Earth, Air, Fire, and Water" or "Naked." This is one
level of inspiration the more conscious one. My other
source of inspiration which is less conscious and
intentional is my life as a stay-at-home-all-the-time
mom and wife. I'm ambivalent about my traditional role
and this ambivalence is a source of the emotions and expressions in my work and
also gives me the basic content of my "illustrated domestic scenes with a
twist."
Inspiration for me really does feel like that cliché
of a light bulb turning on. I'll see a sentence or
phrase or word or (less often) feel an emotion and a
picture will pop into my mind. Then the trick comes of
getting what's in my head onto paper. It never comes
out exactly the way I picture it but I am usually
happy with the result. I think my satisfaction comes
because there are always feeling there that get
expressed and come through loud and clear even if the
image isn't quite "right." The feelings might be the
boredom of ironing or the exasperation of getting a
toddler dressed. Somehow I think the feelings may be
deeper than that because a lot of people relate to my
art not just people who have raised kids or done
housework.
When I'm not feeling inspired I feel terrible. I feel
like I'll never draw again. I feel that all my
"material" is used up and if I do draw again it will
just be hackneyed and trite. Usually its just at this
point that inspiration will hit again and I'll turn
out a decent piece.
My work is very medium driven. I do pen and ink
drawings. Sometimes pen and ink and pastel. And I have
to do drawings. I've tried painting and although one
of my favorite pieces is a painting I have far more
"failures" with paint. I'll do one good one or almost
good one and then many lousy ones that don't "work."
With drawing this has yet to happen. Some are better
than others and a very few are really good. But there
aren't any (yet) that I just wouldn't show. Well,
that's not quite true I did 26 drawings before I
started my current body of work of which I'd only show
about 10. Hopefully by talking about it publicly I
won't "jinx" it and lose all my inspiration and
ability and the "roll" I'm on. I guess deep down I'm a
bit superstitious about my work in the sense that I'm
not confident that my talent will last.
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Inspiration Source:: from nature
Morris Taylor
morris@morristaylor.net
Thank you for including me in the initial
survey regarding the
inspiration of artists. For some time I have also been interested in
this topic. It may be that I can be of some use to your research and
presentation. You may view my web site at www.morristaylor.net. My
work is drawn from nature and my present work is tilted towards the
preservation of the environment.
My professional background included the performing arts as a pianist, a
Doctor of Musical Arts from Boston University. Included in this degree
is a cognate minor in art history. My current interest in the visual
arts has resulted in five one person shows in the last two years.
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Inspiration Source: Acknowledging that energy
Sharla Flock
sharlaflock@yahoo.com
sf open studios
Greetings to you Edwin,
I am getting back to you on the topic on Inspiration.
First let me say that I appreciate you contacting me
and am excited to hear about your project! Good luck
with it!
As for my thoughts on Inspiration......
I am not sure that I could even find the correct words to describe that " feeling" you get. The essence of
that intangible "feeling" is what I consider to be my Inspiration. To be truly
connected to who you are and in a space that nurtures your creativity. Having an
energy that comes from deep within. Acknowledging that energy, your spirit, is
the necessary ingredient for inspiration.
For years I was not in that space and didn't feel
passionate about creating. I felt that I was truly
missing something in my life. I was not nurturing my
true spirit. Now that I am creating again I feel truly
inspired to paint. The more I paint, the more I have
to paint. There are simply not enough hours in the day
to get all my ideas out onto canvas. I have reclaimed
my spirit, my passion,.....my inspiration. It is a
lifecyle. The more you don't listen to your inner
spirit, denying yourself that which makes you who you
are, you will not experience inspiration. Once you
begin to allow your true self to emerge, you reclaim
your passion and your inspiration follows. One cannot
exist without the other. Commitment to self, honoring
your gifts, your talent, and your passion =
Inspiration.
That pretty much sums it up for my ideas about
inspiration. If you have any questions, please don't
hesitate to contact me.
Again, best of luck with your project!
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Inspiration Source: beautiful visage, foreign films, Words, people I know.
Your Name: Cary Silberman
Your Email: tosca@flash.net
Your Webpage: www.itheo.com
Your Comments:
Inspiration can not be quantified in any time or space continuum. It comes from
many things such as looking at a beautiful visage or a unique juxtaposition of
colors and textures.
The first time I was inspired was when I viewed foreign films on public TV. The
Europeans seem to understand character and form better than we do. Simplicity in
form or color can be inspiring by itself. Words can inspire and people I know
inspire me to create.
Other Comments;
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notes: problem with inspiration
Wynne Hayakawa [wynne@netwizards.net]
Dear Edwin--
I have a problem with the word and the concept, inspiration.
Sincerely,
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notes: bulfighting
kate leffler [kateleffler@hotmail.com]
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Notes:
Michele Giulvezan-Tanner
http://shiva.soltec.net/~mtanner/
Some people go to exotic places or travel to unfamiliar lands for inspiration. I never stray far for my inspiration, it is all contained inside of my head, from direct observation. My inspiration comes from both past and present. People and things that are the common essence of my life. I am an observer of the most ordinary and mundane objects and people of our time period. I paint what is common. That is truly what our lives our made of. Yes I would be willing to video taped.
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biba djordjevic thebiba@hotmail.com
* What is your definition of Inspiration? For
me, inspiration is the reason for the enterprise.
* What inspires you? Usually things that trigger
some reaction in me.
* What does the experience of Inspiration feel like?
I feel unstoppable, righteous and have a fresh perspective on life.
* How do you feel when you are not inspired? Empty and
boring.
* How do you give your Inspiration a form, i.e. turn it into art?
By materializing thought or emotion.
* What's the relationship between Perspiration/Work and Inspiration?Usually,
through work inspiration comes. All of the sudden new paths open
and you know it was worthed.
* What question would you ask about Inspiration? How
to keep it alive?
Artist's Statements
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Dan Smith (415) 551-8134
62 Diamond St.
http://www.paintingsonglass.com
S. F, Ca. 94114-1932
Artist's Statement
The earliest art I remember is wood block prints. In the small town of Fusa,
Japan where I lived they hung in many shops. The bold, economical lines have
stayed with me to this day. Later I saw a full size reproduction of Toyo
Sesshu's Long Scroll, which he completed in 1486. With pencil I endeavored to
recreate this most wondrous of works and in doing so found my soul. I spent the
next 10 years living and loving the art of Asia. I fell in love with gothic
sculpture and painting while traveling across Europe visiting churches and
museums. One day wandering through the Louvre I came unknowingly upon the Mona
Lisa and cried. I had found the art of Europe. The richer colors and more
complicated shades of that continent entered my works. A year later a friend
insisted I visit an exposition with 1500 of Picasso's works at the Petit Palace.
I went, not liking modern art. That is until I saw Picasso's "Gertrude Stein in
Brown." Not since Sesshu's Long Scroll had I seen the map of reality so plainly
painted.
Now I no longer try to paint a photo of a rose but rather the prick and memory
of a rose. Since those early years I've seen many paintings and learned much
that has informed my own art. For example Zhao Meng Fu's Autumn Colors on the
Ch'iao and Hua Mountains. He created it in the style called Bland. From him I
learned to be simple and clear relying on the subject matter to move an observer
and not a frivolous or ornate turn of brush. Also the joy and exuberance of
Norman Rockwell delights me and will find a place in my art.
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