Henry New commissioned drawing by Sheona Hamilton-Grant

Drawing Henry was easy. 
A warm friendly aura encircled him, reflected in his eyes, echoed in his sun-bleashed forelock, highlighted by his bold sprinkled blaze, completed by his soft snuggly nose.
 It was an honour to immortilise this noble soul.
It is so easy to see why he is sorely missed.

"Henry"

pencil on paper

SOLD

Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

View more of my work at www.SheonaHamiltonGrant.com

Check out my blog Black on Grey on White sheonas.blogspot.com

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Inspiration, meet brick wall. Problem.

Every artist goes through this.  Heck, EVERYONE, artist or not, hits this point once in awhile - where nothing seems to work and the creativity batteries are exhausted.  One of the benefits of a professional education in the visual arts is that, as a student, you learn to push through those blocks.  Don't feel like drawing?  Too bad.  Your job is to show up, sit down and produce credible work.  It may not be a masterpiece (or it might) but it will at least be passable.  Plus, (insert artist here, as everyone seems to have "heard" this from a different source!  I thought it was Picasso, but, alas, no verification) once famously said that every artist has 10,000 bad drawings in them.  So, even if what you are creating is fit only for the bottom of the bird cage, at least you are slogging your way towards drawing #10,001.
I know this.  I realize it.  I embrace it and expect it and know that if I just grit my teeth and push through, I will eventually be rewarded by a return to some sort of spark of inspiration. But in the meantime, and it IS a MEAN time,  I have half finished artworks watching me from all corners of my studio and precious little desire or desire to work on them.
The only consolation (small one, to be sure) is that I have spoken to a few friends (and fellow artists) recently who have all confided to having the same "lack of momentum" problem.  One of them is a bestselling novelist who stated simply that the book in her head wasn't "ready to be disgorged on the page yet." She finished with one word, which I think sums it up nicely: "Problem."

Fellow artists, how do you keep your motivation on days (or weeks) when things just aren't happening?

Here is where Tempest stands at the moment.  Notice the ink wash(es) and then the scratching out... ad infinitum.

"Tempest" WIP ©Joanna Zeller Quentin 2010.  All Rights Reserved.  www.MoosePantsStudio.com

and here is a new little portrait, just playing with color, also a work in progress. 

"Poised" WIP © Joanna Zeller Quentin 2010.  All Rights Reserved.  www.MoosePantsStudio.com

Elin Pendleton and the TWH commission... in stages, Part II

Those interested in the upcoming DVD on misty/twilight paintings will enjoy how this one is unfolding. I have a misty background working against a patch of sunlight which will illuminate the light palomino Tennessee Walking Horse in the composition. At this stage I'm only concerned with the separate areas of warm vs. cool and not at all with the anatomy or look of the big gelding. The sky will go in, and the bigger shapes in the background before I tackle the details. It is coming along.

On the home front, tomorrow night I open my studio for some artist friends to come and draw and paint from a live model. It's been in the works for a while, and I'm just tickled that they are coming over and it is all working out for us. It will be a great social evening with peers (I've missed those!) and camaraderie.

And renewing a friendship from years ago will be joyful as well--an artist of extraordinary talent, we have let too much time go by between laughter and art. His site is here. The scope of his work and the phenominal art glass he designs are awe inspiring and may take my own art in new directions.

The music rolls on, both on my piano and my head. I think I've played my piano more in the past few months than in all the last half decade! Gutsy ... joyful, poignant.

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
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