by Alison on February 13, 2010
Piet Mondrian - Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Grey and Blue - 1921
A very charming student from a local college visited me in my studio a few weeks ago, as they had to choose a living artist whose work they liked on whom to write a paper. She had literally twenty questions to ask me. One of the questions, the last one, stopped me in my tracks because of the response it engendered from me.
The most ordinary little question took me stumbling down a new path of understanding about myself, my art, and how it felt to be an artist.
She asked me, “Where do you get your inspiration?”.
I answered immediately with the first words that materialized, and as I said them I knew they were, for me, completely true: “Inspiration is irrelevant”.
She looked somewhat surprised, so I went on to explain my assertion to her. Each painting I create is a distillation of my experiences of perceiving and existing, they are my answer and reaction to simply being. My creative process requires me to cull and sculpt my possible artworks down to the chosen few that I can achieve in a day/week/month/year/lifetime. Being an artist fulfills every aspect of who I am and I am an artist every second.
Matisse, Joy of Life, 1905-6
There is a section in the book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clark where the author describes Nature as writing questions and answers continually in the skies, and stones, and trees and grasses for those who can decode the language.
My ‘inspirational’ or creative process feels like a dialogue between the collection of experiences that comprise myself as well as my immutable core, and the lines, form, colors and light in the natural world.
She speaks, and I answer. I question, she replies.
I have no idea what she has told me or what I have replied on any conscious level, but each painting is a record of our conversation.
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>> Artist Deborah T. Colter has written her response to this post. Please visit her site to read it!<<
>>Artist Roslyn Dames has written about inspiration in response to my post. <<
by Alison on September 14, 2009
Sunday sped by slinkily, as I painted from dawn till dusk (nearly) at my new studio space.
I worked on my Starshine (Before the Dawn) abstraction and by the end of the day I had made great progress. One more session should get it to where I can stop work on it.
My husband and children worked diligently fixing lights, spackling holes, painting over them and generally making the space look immaculate. What would I do without them?
My space is open for business, although I won’t be there full time for another three weeks. Currently, I am there on Saturday and Sundays. On October 24th, I shall have my launch party … fun fun fun!
by Alison on September 8, 2009
We spent most of today at my new studio~gallery. We made huge progress not only in the phsycial appearance today, but also in my conception of how I will be best able to ustilize the space.
These four photographs show a progression of work today. More to come soon!
by Alison on September 7, 2009
This Labor Day weekend has been the start of my lease on this new studio & gallery space. We spent time setting up yesterday, and today we will continue getting things into their proper places. Eventually, I plan to spend my days here painting, in blessed isolation 
In the meantime, I aim to fill it with artworks and have a launch party as soon as possible.
Here are some initial photos of my gallery, and moving in.
by Alison on May 14, 2009
Well, back to the studio today. After some gratifying reordering and cleaning of my supplies, I got to work on these two paintings, both with deadlines fast approaching. I hope to complete them tomorrow.
I am working with a very smooth (and classic) medium mixture for these, of 1/3 damaar varnish, 1/3 stand oil, and 1/3 pure turps. It has enabled me to build layers that are just a tad translucent, or with less medium, completely opaque. Both these paintings are constructed of many layers.
by Alison on May 12, 2009
I’ve had a frustrating morning trying to work on my new wordpress site, but with a little help (thanks Amy!) it’s starting to come together.
The work shown above is still a work in progress ~ I aim to complete it before the end of the week, and will post an update. It is a large work, and comprised of squares of color in oils, to create the same impression as gazing upwards on a Spring day through the leaves of a tree.
