The Creative Artist

I am now officially clever I got it! It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I am now a skyscape artist – have a look at my new website skyscapes.com.au. Same old method – practice, patience and determination. You can’t go wrong with that simple combination. It’s not easy, you have to swallow your pride sometimes when you can’t achieve what you are yearning for. I use a simple method to handle such situations – I don’t care. ‘Don’t care’ certainly solves a lot of problems and makes it...

Came across a few artists on a social site who think that the only real artists are those who have been formerly trained. It’s a very narrow and strange way of seeing art. All Colleges, Universities, Institutions etc. are products of the system. They are corporate in their thinking and traditional in their training. They are extensions of the government and hence present careful, institutionalised attitudes. They are mechanical production lines that produce trained monkeys. Some of these...

From my new website infiniteheart.com.au

Not everyone can be an artist or a ballet dancer or even an astronaut. We are all different. We all have a different core purpose. Some people can strongly feel this purpose and they act on it. Their road is not necessarily easy but they know what they must do and they do it. They love what they do and they can’t be stopped. Other people do not even believe in a core purpose, let alone pursue ‘their life’s work’. They do not even bother to look within to learn about themselves. That’s fine,...

To be an artist you need to have a reason for your expression, a personal focus that causes you to express your unique style. What do you want to say? What do you want to shout out to the world? What is important to you? You need to know what you are going to say before you speak. You need to know your song before you sing. You need to know your goal before you begin your creative pursuit. Work out what you want to express before you frustrate yourself with vague meanderings on your blank...

I have been a professional artist for over 30 years,for most of those years business was good. I have sold thousands of seascape paintings and done thousands of portraits. At the moment the economy is changing, art is a luxury for many people. It is becoming more difficult to sell art in the same way that it has been sold for years. You have to lower your prices. You have to be less precious about your work and you have to be prepared to give generous discounts. It’s quite humbling… for a...

I watched 2 friends wrestling at Tae Kwon Do the other night. We are not taught to wrestle, so when we are down on the ground, we tend to scramble and scratch around slipping from random grasps to unexpected twists and turns. Watching, it became obvious that they were not going anywhere. They were spending a lot of energy but had no focus on a direction. As martial artists we are taught to fight on our feet, that’s where we should be if we want to be effective. In a wrestling situation, our...

Get up and make a change It’s not easy being an artist… especially if you are not a business person. In the last 2 years the economy has changed, money has shifted and corporations have openly taken over the world. Business is different. Values are changing. Luxury items are lower on the list of priorities. Many older people, who, not long ago spent freely, are being much more careful. So how do you survive if your income depends on the sale of art or other items that are now classed as...

Another Good idea I have a new website – pleasantplaces.com.au. This is a new way of presenting a landscape (well it’s new to me at least!). I have combined 3 different landscapes on the 1 canvas and the result – it makes your mind reach back into a vague past, seeking memories that are aroused through a scene that is vaguely familiar. I am very happy with my new works. I have found that they are particularly powerful if you stare at them for a while. Then you begin to fall into some sort of...

I am now officially clever I got it! It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I am now a skyscape artist – have a look at my new website skyscapes.com.au. Same old method – practice, patience and determination. You can’t go wrong with that simple combination. It’s not easy, you have to swallow your pride sometimes when you can’t achieve what you are yearning for. I use a simple method to handle such situations – I don’t care. ‘Don’t care’ certainly solves a lot of problems and makes it...

I am still steadily working towards my goal of being a professional skyscape artist. Most mornings I work on some paintings – adjusting, refining or painting over previous works. It is important not to give these early works much value, otherwise I could stop halfway up skyscape mountain, thinking that I have reached the summit. I will keep going until my work becomes irresistible and people have to have it. This worked years ago for my seascapes and I sold over 3000 of them. So applying...

How do you find a subject? How do you find a subject? I get an idea. I play with it as a possibility for a while. For example, I had been considering painting landscapes as an alternative to seascapes. I wasn’t quite comfortable with the traditional landscape idea, so I just let the idea roll around my mind for days, weeks. Then I got the idea of doing a speed-painting style. I tried a couple of paintings to see how I felt. While I was painting I felt a strong urge to make the sky bigger,...

Please visit my new website at creativesecrets.com.au and have a look at the crazy number of e-books I have produced. This has been over a number of years. I did not realise myself how many I had produced until I built the website (Yes I build websites too!) This is a practical example of how far you can go with little steps. Each of the books was created because I had an idea that I wanted to express. Then the first step I always take is to commit myself to following the project to the end....

Speed painting – the art of painting efficiently and confidently. Painting does not have to be a slow, laboured experience. Some people prefer to move quickly and get a great joy from spontaneity. By learning some basic principles and then practicing as if you really don’t give a damn, you will be amazed at the talent that you can release. Lack of confidence is one of the biggest blocks to success in any field. I see it in my martial arts classes where students preparing for their black belt...

Stop talking and start working When you get an idea, start. Don’t wait until later, because later has yet to arrive for anyone. Your days are limited. Time cannot be reclaimed. Every day is lost. Take action now and claim what is your… time! One little mark on the canvas or paper or wall, should be enough to lead to another little mark and so on. Do anything, just get going. Loosely copy someone else’s art or a photo or look out of your window and paint what you see, do anything, but don’t...