Creativity

Call it drugs, too much sleep or whatever, but odd ideas come into my head for drawings and this is one of them.

I've been sketching, nothing concrete, technically competent or complete, but there's a part of me, even when sick, that still creates. I liked the intense gaze for this, complete with bird, adding a surreal - or real - element to it. The eyes aren't matched but that's what comes from drawing lying on the sofa! The drawing provides a jumping off point for other elements to join in, for things to change, colour to be added or subtracted and suddenly a new piece is formed.

Another sketch was of Tripod, just a roughing in of eyes and fur shading, perhaps to turn into a detailed pencil drawing. The first drawing I ever did of Tripod sold at an art show and was awarded Best in Show. The judge of the show bought it in fact. Its time for another serious piece, despite the cat's disdain for me.

Creativity has been the subject of debate and many beginning artists don't understand it well or confuse it with technical ability, believing creativity will win out in the end. That's a rather romantic notion, but never rings true in the final product. To successfully create a creative piece you need to have the technical ability to apply a medium to a surface, no matter how your change your final subject or composition.

I've also been working off and on on the oil painting of my daughter as a child. Its slow going and I have wiped and rewiped elements of it several times. Perhaps the turps are getting to me. I want it loose and free, but what's coming out is tight and controlled. Even a happy split between the two would do about now. And for some reason the camera won't oblige to provide an update tonight. It probably needs its feed of new batteries.