Recharge Your Art with A New Idea

'Canyon Magic I'      6x6     pastel       ©Karen Margulis   $65 purchase here

'Canyon Magic II'      6x6       pastel  $65 purchase here

'Canyon Magic'           6x6      pastel  $65  purchase here

It's Summer and that means it's time to play.  Of course artists play all year long (or we should) but summer for me is a time to relax, unwind and put aside serious study. It is time for taking a break. It goes back to my school days.  Looking forward to summer and putting the serious books away for a couple of months was a treat.

I still look forward to summer for the same reason but as an artist it doesn't mean taking a break from art.  Instead it means giving myself permission to put aside the serious study of art concepts and try something different. In other words...give myself permission to play!

It's OK if I try a new medium or experiment with a different style. It's OK if I paint something that isn't like what I *usually* paint.  So what if it isn't successful or not popular. I am learning no matter what I do and the goal is to have fun.  Remember... It's Summer!  I have a whole list of things I want to try and play with and now that my studio is clean I can begin!

I have been playing with a NEW IDEA the past week.  It is an idea I adapted from my recent workshops both with Elizabeth Mowry and at IAPS.  It is an idea that is helping me get more abstract with my landscapes....something I have been wanting to do.  It doesn't matter if they aren't successful because I am recharged with excitement to get into the studio to work on this idea.

 I will share the idea here after I teach my class next week but here's a clue.....look at the painting above of Canyon de Chelly and see how it relates to the abstracted paintings in the beginning of this post.

So if you haven't done it already I challenge you to act on an art idea you've been wanting to try. Summer is the time to try it!  If you don't have a new idea spend some time going through art books, magazines or online art and find something that jumps out at you....see how it was done and try it yourself!   And go have some FUN!