Glenn Marshall - Yorkshire Artist
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Get Inspired...

12/9/2013

2 Comments

 

...with a little help from my friends

Picture
"Rays of Hope" Original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
Where do you get your inspiration from? I ask this because I met up with an ex student of mine yesterday. At our first meeting he was a complete beginner who had been encouraged to paint by his family now he had retired. He attended the "Welcome to Watercolour" and then the "Making Progress with Watercolours" courses with me. Both the courses ran(run!) for six weeks and he did.......make progress! But when I asked him if he was still painting he replied that he couldn't find any 'inspiration' to paint. This was sad because he had enjoyed it so much and had the potential to become a good painter. I have noticed that this happens quite a lot with people who produce good work on a course but once it's over, can't find the inspiration or the motivation to keep going. He asked me how I got my inspiration and I told him about just getting out there and 'looking' with a sketchbook in your hand or even a camera. What I said is true of course but when I got home I began to think about the subject in a bit more depth.
My Collins English Dictionary tells me that one of the definitions of inspiration is: "stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc., to special activity or creativity." Our modern English word has its roots from the Latin spirare literally to breathe. Now what happens if stop breathing? You die of course. So what happens if you stop being inspired? Yes you're right - you die as a painter. So that's how important inspiration is. So then how and where does inspiration come from? What inspires you?
I put this question to some artist friends of mine and here is a sample of their responses:
"What Inspires me is walking through a forest watching the light dance through the trees. Or on the beach with the sun making the water sparkle like diamonds glistening. feeling the wind blow in my hair... I love light texture and water it nearly always evokes some kind of creativity in me... " Merice Ewart Marshall
 "Driving to work every day in North Pembrokeshire. Looking at the different colours and views that seem to change daily depending on the weather and time of year. the light here is fantastic, and there are so many local artists that paint the local scenes but all have their own style. I visit their galleries and web sites for inspiration, and it never fails. Doesn't matter that I not to their standard, I just enjoy painting and doing my best to express my feelings through to the subject." Jayne Hughes

"The colour and sound of the sea, sunset over the Yorkshire Dales, the sound of Spanish Guitar in a Barcelona Garden, the shapes and shades of clouds, the colours of Spring on the Wolds, the inspiration is endless." Sue Spivey
"How I feel when I see the colours in the waves and sky, the smells and sounds, its all my senses that make me paint something or someone, Or sometimes I have seen something then cant get it out of my mind until its down on paper. Inspired by my emotions or memories." Jocelyn Roberts
"Animals . My cows to me are beautiful their eyes long eyelashes wet noses! Their innocence and cheekiness too which I hope I capture when drawing them. The same with all animals its their innocence and beauty in their eyes!" Cyndi Cyn Bowman
"Pride!!" Stephen Hayes
I think you'll agree that there is some very sound advice there. Clearly inspiration is a personal thing but there are some themes - use all your senses not just your eyes, visit familiar places regularly and note the different effects as the seasons change. Jane made a good point about visiting galleries and websites of other artists. Don't be put off if you are not as good as them- just enjoy  painting.
What about me? I can relate to all the comments above. In the case of "Rays of Hope", I had been dog walking with Merice in a wood adjacent to the Gypsy Race (why it's called that no-one seems to know- answers on a postcard please!) in late December 2011. I always carry my sketchbook so made a very quick drawing when we happened upon this lovely scene which I just had to paint. So with sketch, memory and  Merice's photograph for some detail, this was my first painting of 2012. The start of a new year is always a reason for hope hence the title.
This has been the easiest blog I have ever written - most of the work has been done by my good friends. So thanks to you all for your help and I'll let another artist friend sum the subject up for us:
"The phrase: "Aspire to inspire before you expire"." Romy Serrano
Cards and prints of "Rays of Hope" and other paintings by Glenn Marshall are available to purchase.
2 Comments
Margaret Hockney
15/9/2013 08:04:35 am

I hope your ex student found the inspiration comments helpful.
It is an interesting topic, I was going to join the discussion – but too late, your Blog was written before I put fingers to keyboard.
So this is My personal take on :
“Where do you get your inspiration from?”
When I was not ME alone, but it was WE, inspiration flowed freely, so first and foremost I think that an interested partner, buyer, colleague, teacher or suchlike will vastly enhance the creative juice of inspiration. A student in a class will find more inspiration amongst fellow creators than when he is home alone. Likewise a teacher will be constantly inspired by the awe and responses of their students.
I can sometimes get inspiration from books on positive thinking as well as books on the particular creative interest, and also by seeing what others are creating..My media is mixing technology with nature, so whilst learning the latest software or technology, inspiration could start by:-
“I wonder what would happen if….” –
Thus, hopefully the seed of an idea is ready to be nurtured, but whilst thoughts compute, inspiration could be dampened by laziness or lack of motivation.
I usually need to clear workspace, and clear external clutter.
To do this, I make a list of everything to be done. It could be:
Take some rubbish to the tip
Clean the fridge
Tidy a room
Write some overdue letters or emails
Sort out papers.
Bath the dog
There may be up to twenty chores – some of them quite simple.
When each item has been ticked off – and it is amazing how quick this can be, I am ready to be inspired – but hey nothing happens! It is avoidance tactics; I have come to recognise it by now. I have got energy from ticking off the chores, but now have to invigorate that little seed of an idea that made me write the list in the first place.
So now a reminder that if I WANT to do something and it is humanly possible, then I CAN do it, and I WILL do it. … And I DO do it – then by DOING, inspiration knows no bounds. One action just leaps to another and I am on the proverbial roll.
Now – I need people. What good are creations if nobody is interested in them, or there is no feedback? There is a limit to self-adulation, and without approval from others, inspiration as well as motivation could well fade away.
Hmmm how sad that top of the next list of clearing chores could well be:
Take some rubbish to the tip.
Yes, those rubbish creations are taking up too much space.
Ah well such is life.
At least I was inspired to write this, so thanks Glenn,
Hmm, I really must go through my document folder and delete some of these old files, oh well, maybe I will just leave them for now.


Reply
Glenn Marshall
16/9/2013 05:22:08 am

Hi Margaret,
You have made some insightful comments. It must be very difficult when WE changes to ME as I freely admit just how much I depend on Merice for providing that mental stimulation so necessary to initiating the process of inspiration. I can also totally rely on her artistic honesty even if I don't necessarily like or agree with her comments. And yes it seems to me too, that there has to be a point to all our creativity - we need other people to see it no matter how scary that is. Sometimes we undervalue ourselves and our art but I always think that the act of creating itself has some merit, so don't be too quick to take that 'rubbish' to the tip!

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    Professional artist now semi retired and enjoying being eccentric!

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