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Creativity on the Road...

11/19/2018

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Holiday season is here which means we are all busy and keeping an art practice  going can be challenging. It also means some traveling for us as not all of our family is close by. Here are some tips for keeping some creative momentum going during the holidays...

Bring a sketchbook... I find if I don't - that's the day I want to have it. Sketchbook drawing on the road, for me, is an exercise in visual note-taking - quick gestural sketches of the landscapes we pass (I love rolling hills of farms where you can see the patterns made by plow lines). Its also a good time to reflect on what you've gathered thus far in previous pages maybe sparking new ideas for when you're back in your studio.

Catch up on your favorite Art Podcasts... Our family is seven hours away so we have plenty of time to fit in at least a few (Or as many as my husband will tolerate ;) .  A few of my fav's: Art for Your Ear, The Savvy Painter, The Unmistakable Creative, the Laura Horn Art Podcast, and The Creativity Habit.
Hunt & Gather inspiration...
Go for a wander and snap some pictures of interesting finds. Our family we visit lives a block from the beach. I love to walk there, no matter how cold and breathe in the salt air - I find it instantaneously recharges my energy. Its a wealth of inspiration as well.
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Snip color palette inspirations from magazines...
When visiting my mom there's always a big pile of magazines she's already read through - I love perusing the pages and gathering colors that catch my eye.  I bring washi tape and put them in my sketchbook.

Clean up studio before leaving so you’re ready to go when you come home! Nothing inspires me more than a workspace that is de-cluttered and ready to go! The goal while I'm away is to keep some creative momentum going and gather visual tidbits that might spark inspiration when I'm back home.
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Hunting & Gathering Inspiration...

11/9/2018

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I’ve worked for 20+ years as a Landscape Architect so its no surprise that my art is inspired by the outdoors. Whether I’m running, walking our dogs or working in the garden I am always picking up bits of nature that catch my eye, or snapping pics with my phone - trying to capture anything that makes me stop and gaze.  
I love the endless supply of design elements that nature can supply…interesting patterns, compositions, energetic organic lines, contrasting textures and  color combinations.

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One of my favorite sources of inspiration is the garden. I treat planting design like 'painting with plants' with broad strokes of color through a field of green. The blooms of the Pink Muhly grass do a great job of this!
I take a LOT of pictures throughout spring and summer to call on in winter when I need some color inspiration!

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A recent favorite palette from the garden is a cool sage green next to a more vibrant yellow green contrasted with a bit of burnt sienna from a branch,  or in this case dried Sedum blooms.



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I also turn to Instagram feeds for inspiration. A current favorite is an interior design feed @enter_my_attic. She posts gorgeous vignettes of minimal spaces. I love her color palettes and modern compositions accented with botanicals.

The trick is to then have a gathering place for all the inspo!  I started a new Instagram account just for this purpose @inspirationonmyrun. It's my easily accessible bank of images I can dive into when I need inspiration.

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My sketchbook is another place I keep my keep my findings.  Occasionally, when I don’t feel inspired or know what I want to work on I will do some visual ‘cataloguing’ of my gatherings - which usually leads to an idea.
 FUTURE GOAL: to spend more time reflecting on my gatherings, sketching- not for reality but to spark something new - a way of translating it into something of my own, my own visual language.

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    My name is Nicole and I am a nature-loving abstract artist.  My blog is a record of my process and inspirations that show up in my life.
    Thanks for taking the time to visit!

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