Inspiration is such a funny thing, and for me, commissions are not typically a place where inspiration or spontaneous creativity live. During a commission project, I’m often working to create someone else’s vision, not necessarily my own. Which is why I wasn’t prepared for what actually happened… As I was beginning this recent commission, laying down the first few layers, I started doing it in the way that I used to paint. My goal was to create a version of a piece that I did about ten years ago with some references to a painting they had recently purchased. An additional consideration is, that my style has shifted some throughout the years…
As I’m putting down the first layers and some basic structure, something strikes me… to add some history to the canvas (this is something that I do a lot these days) and was exactly when inspiration showed up. It was exhilarating, but I had to focus, to keep myself grounded since new ideas were constantly tapping me on the shoulder or whispering in my ear … “what if you did this”…
After finishing the piece, I sat to consider why exactly inspiration would select this moment to not only arrive, but (dare I say) to pester me all the way through completion. I still haven’t determined if it was the mixture of old (style) and new, the initial palette that I meant to go back and explore further or the way that I added to that palette by taking some colors from the other recently purchased painting. Maybe I’ll never know but I’m grateful and inspired!
Skybridge II is a 30×24 Acrylic and Mixed Media