You stare at a blank surface and have no idea what you want to paint. It can be frustrating and paralysing. You are not alone. All artists suffer creative block at some time in their lives.
After over 30 years painting professionally, I have learned that waiting for inspiration is not the solution. You will break the block faster by painting anything than painting nothing. I have found a few methods that help me going again that might help you too.
Plein Air Painting
Whether I don’t feel like painting or am looking for inspiration, getting outside to paint en plein air always works for me. While setting up my easel in nature, I am surrounded beautiful subjects and a myriad of compositions. I cannot paint all of it, so I focus on one area and get lost in the act of painting.
There is no time to nitpick a composition because plein air paintings chase the light and need to be completed in about 2 hours. There is no time to paint the extraneous details, so you focus on the essence of a subject and distill the experience of your painting session into a painting.
If plein air painting is not your thing, go plein air painting anyway. You might end up loving it or you might treat it as a study for a larger studio painting.
Life Drawing
Painting rapidly improves your painting skills, which can also make you more excited to paint and break through a creative block. Whenever I can host or join a life drawing session I do it. After several 30 second sketches, I usually feel much better and am eager to settle into a longer drawing. Life drawing is usually done with a group, so you are also surrounded by other artists.
Paint Together
Being around other artists spreads creative energy. I have found that most artists are extremely supportive of other artists. We know what we put into a painting and the struggles we all face. Call up an artist friend and join them in a painting session or plan a plein air outing. Have them over for tea and discuss art. Go to local exhibitions, visit a museum, follow other artists on social media. Excitement about art can be contagious, so surround yourself with art and artists.
Still Life
When the weather does not support plein air painting and I don’t have a subject in mind to paint, I paint a still life. I set up lighting, select objects, and plan out a composition. I might pick a theme or just do a simple study of an object.
Often I find that while setting up a still life, I find inspiration in the lighting or a narrative occurs to me. What starts out feeling like going through the motions ends up an exciting composition. Earlier in my career I tended to be more subject-driven, but now I am more composition-driven. I might set up a still life of objects, but I usually end up focusing on texture or colour or the lighting instead. The objects selected are often less important than the act of observing.
Limit Input
Sometimes too much inspiration can actually cause a creative block. Everyone has their own personality, but when I have a bunch of different subjects I am planning to paint, I find it easy to get distracted.
When painting from photos, I would rather have 2 images to decide between than 50. It is a great idea to keep a folder of images that you are considering painting. Just try and spend more time painting than looking through photos. Once I select the photo or photos I am working with I will put all others away and not look through reference photos again until the painting is done.
Try quickly picking a subject or reference and then figuring out a composition rather than scrolling through image after image. It isn’t the reference that makes a great painting, it is what you do with it.
Paint Inside The Box
Not every painting you do has to be completely different from anything you have ever done. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are often several great compositions within a single scene. You might have chosen a portrait format but could come up with something totally different using landscape or panoramic formats. There may be a painting you weren’t happy with but feel there is a great painting in there somewhere.
Painting a series can take a lot of the anguish over picking a subject out of the equation. I painted a series of ocean waves and the challenge was not to find the subject but how to make each one unique and to see how far I could push certain techniques.
For the triptych above I wanted to paint 3 things that epitomise the Western Cape for me. I chose mountains, fynbos, and ocean. I decided to use a common horizon and a set size/ratio for my panels. I thought it might be fun to paint morning, noon, and afternoon lighting. Painting “outside the box” doesn’t mean you can’t create your own box and paint inside it.
Experiment
Experimentation is key to artistic growth. Try a technique or material you are not familiar with. You might find inspiration to use it in a new painting. For instance, throwing coarse salt into wet watercolor paint can produce some interesting textures. It is not a technique I use often, but when experimenting with it you might get inspired to paint something rusty or snow flakes.
When you approach a painting with the attitude that it is just for experimentation, you release the pressure to make a great painting and allow your curiosity and playfulness to shine through. Doodle, sketch, get your hands dirty and remember that art is fun.
Paint Paint Paint
Too often we, as artists, worry too much about the resulting painting and forget to enjoy the process. Not every painting has to be a masterpiece. Paint for your own enjoyment too. Behind every great painting are a lot of failed and experimental paintings. By just painting you get your mind back into the creative space that will result in inspiration.
When you don’t very feel creative or don’t know what to paint, paint anyway. When I am painting every day I find that I have no shortage of ideas, but when I am painting less often it can be harder to get started. So paint as often as you can. You will break through the creative block quickly and be happier.
Christopher Reid
reidsart.com