"Late Day", 22"x 30" Acrylic on gessoed paper.
As they say "When you're in a hole; stop digging"
Most artists that have been painting for any length of time soon realize how easy it is to find yourself in an artist rut. You know, that sinking feeling that you get when you're about half the way finished painting something and it is practically a copy of the last piece you painted. But you're thinking that painting sold pretty quickly , so maybe I should do more paintings like it. After all, most artists are results driven and what better way to measure the result of your years of study than to have someone part with their hard earned money to buy one of your pieces. I don't know of any artists that wouldn't like to sell more of their paintings. So most of the time we just keep on cranking them out, and they sell, and we crank some more out, and they sell, and we eventually find ourselves almost complacent about our art. Suddenly it's little more than just a source of income. It's no longer fun to sit down for a while and paint. The flame is starting to get smaller and if you keep on this path, it will go out entirely.
This has happened to me on several occasions in my career as an artist and many of the artists that I know have had the same experience. Some of them are wonderful landscape artists, some are abstract artists, and some paint beautiful floral and still life pieces. It doesn't matter what medium you choose or what style or subject you paint, you can easily find yourself in a rut if you don't safeguard against it. Here are just a few of the telltale signs that you're in a rut.
You don't get quite as excited to paint as you used to.
You're easily bored with your work and you've lost that great feeling of accomplishment you once had.
You find yourself allowing others to tell you what and how to paint.
You're afraid that you might lose some of your supporters if you change your style or try something different.
You are afraid that you may not be as successful if you did something different so you play it safe and keep doing more of the same ole, same ole.
Not only are you becoming bored with your work but you notice that others are as well.
Personally I do not think that there is anything to be ashamed of or feel guilty about when this happens. From what I have personally experienced and heard other artists say; it's a normal process that most artist experience at least once in their career. Sometimes every few years. While I can't speak for anyone other than myself on this subject, I'll list a few of the things that I have done when I'm starting to find myself in a rut. For me, the telltale sign that I see more than anything else is the lack of desire to paint. I just find it boring and I get very little personal satisfaction from it. It's a state of mind where I'd rather do nothing than work on another painting. Sound familiar to some of you?
My #1 recommendation is that you step away from your painting for a while. Allow your brain to clear itself so that it will be receptive to new ideas and concepts.
Go to some art galleries or go online and look at the works of artists whose work you admire.
Paint something similar to what you have been painting only exaggerate and alter the colors. For example in a landscape, try paining the sky green and the trees blue. It will help to stimulate the mind and reinforce the idea that it's OK to do something different.
Consider playing around with a new medium or do some mixed media by introducing two or three mediums into one painting. It's a great way to open the mind and let the creative juices flow. At first it can be challenging but it's also exciting at the same time.
Look for things to paint that are not your usual subject and style. If you're typically a landscape painter try your hand at abstract or seascapes.
Get your old books and videos out and try a few new techniques that you might have forgotten about.
I could spend a day listing things that artists can do to crawl out of a rut. The bottom line is that we all from time to time experience this and each of us will find our own way to deal with it.
I should point out that there is a difference between Artists' Block and being in a rut. When you're in a rut you don't loose your ability to paint; you just
lose your desire or enthusiasm. When you experience Artists' Block, however, you quite often have the desire and enthusiasm to paint but your creative mind just shuts down. It's almost as if there is a road block at your elbow that prevents the ideas you have from ever reaching your brush. They're awful because the artist is almost incapable of producing no matter how much desire he or she may have to do so. They can last for a few days or even months. Then as quickly as it appeared, you wake up one day and it's gone. I have never found a way to make it go away. You just have to ride it out and hope that it's short lived. But rest assured, it will at some point go away and it's been my experiences that I often do my best work immediately after it passes. It's as though all of your creative energy has been building and building just waiting for the opportunity to once again get to work doing what I love.
We now have a NEW Companion Website:
For several years we have received numerous requests that we offer prints of some of my paintings. To accommodate these requests we have designed a new website that is a companion to our current site.
This new site allows us to offer a large selection of prints of my paintings and even some prints of my photography. Yes, unknown to most, I'm also a photographer. There are also two galleries that feature original watercolors and original acrylic abstracts on paper that are available.
Another great feature of this new site is that you can choose from a variety of sizes and surfaces that you would like for your prints. We hope that you will check it out and be as excited about it as we are.
Gift Certificates
We have received several request for Gift Certificates recently so Diane and I have decided to offer Gift Certificates for $75.00 or $100.00 that can be redeemed for Videos, Live Classes, Art Supplies, and Paintings. The Gift Certificates can be purchased on our website; www.sterlingedwards.com under Art Supplies.
(Not redeemable for live, on location workshops)
