Get Inspired- Words from the Artist's Studio

JAMES GUMMERSON

"I spend a lot of time splicing together photographs and sketches and then I save them so that they are ready for me to start when I get time. I generally  have more ideas than I have time for."

"A lot of what I do is inspired by my experiences and the strong feelings and thoughts I have during a moment. It’s more of an instinctual process. I’m also inspired by Nature."

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BILL SCHWARZ

"Physically inhabit your studio, your space.  Then, do something, anything …. grab a pen; put the pen to paper; put some colour on a surface … anything! Then let that ‘something’ lead you to something else."

"First, you must want to find something inspirational; remember inspiration can be found in a salt shaker!  So, go ….. for a walk; for a drive; to a museum/gallery; to a book. If you want to find inspiration, you will find it."

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DONNA FRATESI

"Going into my studio during these upsetting days, gives me a peace that is otherwise unavailable. I sit in my chair and let the quiet wash over me.  After a while something stirs in me and I only want to throw paint on that blank canvas, it is almost as if it is taunting me. "
 
"As artists we all need that time before beginning to feel the process stir somewhere inside.  To create something beautiful out of nothing is a gift.  The longer I work, the more I see, soon I am somewhere in a zone that makes me very happy.  My mind is filled with colour and design.  It’s a good day."

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STEVEN VOLPE

"I need routine. Every weekday morning, I go for a walk, have breakfast, then enter my studio. If it’s a blank canvas, I’ve done enough preparatory work to provide confident direction—but it’s a flexible plan. I try to finish the workday on a high note so my mind is at ease between sessions."
 
"When I get an idea that I feel is worth pursuing, the juices start to flow. I always begin with enthusiasm, though I know there will be challenges along the way. But, for every unforeseen problem, an unforeseen solution will make the painting better than I could have preconceived."

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DARA ARAM

"I try to think that despite the ugliness of this pandemic, there is still much beauty in our world and believe hope and our amazing front line workers give us strength and courage to continue our daily lives...WE are fortunate to live in Canada....These thoughts continue to motivate my work. "

"I continue sketching and painting.....hoping my supplies will last."

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LES DRYSDALE

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JAMES PATTERSON

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GISELE COMTOIS

“To make the perfect painting, I very seldom have a blank canvas. Because the completion of one painting is the beginning of the next one”

 "I am in my studio 4 to 5 time a week except if I am working on projects. I walk daily and am at the gym 3 times a week. It's my preparation for my day in the studio. Before you start putting images on the canvas it has to be composed in your brain The dilemma is as a professional artist you are always trying more.”

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MARCELO SUAZNABAR

"First, a good breakfast to start the day, then I enter the studio and close the door to get right into work. I then choose the right music or some documentary to listen to, and I start organizing the studio or start working on sketches or finishing the details on paintings."
 
"I think that entering the studio every day at the same time and sticking to a routine is a matter of discipline. Sometimes you can break that scheme but I try not to do it, the right music can be suggestive to activate creativity and where my ideas and themes begin to flow onto "the blank sheet".

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PAULA VANDERMEY

"Being creative is a natural part of everyday life.  My priority is to balance the daily disciplines of my schedule and take time to express my innate creativity. Hiking through the woods, and not viewing artistic projects like a job opens opportunity to express my passions, emotions, and beliefs."
 
"As a mixed-media artist, studio set-up depends on what medium I am exploring.  In the glass studio, there is a labor intense set-up over multiple days or months.  Starting from cold batch glass, to melting, to repetitive kiln-working, and finally polishing in order to have the results ready are a necessity to complete the final creations."

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LAURA CULIC

"I love the limitless potential of the blank panel, and of each stage that follows: beginning with the physical and expressive act of making marks and scribbles; remaining process driven rather than having concern for the outcome; painting gesturally and instinctively; and the headiness of creating from nothing, a magical world unto itself."
 
"I come into the studio each day in happy anticipation of exploration and adventure. The simple act of moving paint is exhilarating. Coffee - or in the evening, red wine -  is the fuel, and music is the kickstarter; particularly Bach, Radiohead, Arvo Part and Philip Glass."

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RON EADY

"When I go to the studio my mind is usually set whether I’m going to work on a more physical wood sculpture piece or spend the day in the painting studio.....first I put on some music."

"With the sculpture it’s pretty certain that I will work on a head or figure type form that usually starts with 100 year old wood beams. It’s a process of working with chainsaws then chisels till a personality emerges that I follow further."
 
"In the painting studio, I decide which series of works I am currently motivated or inspired to work on and whether the medium is encaustic, oils or acrylics.....if for example, I have an exhibition scheduled in the Industrial landscape theme then I focus my energy in that direction etc....There are a few different series of works that I continue to explore which get my creative juices flowing, it keeps me feeling fresh and inspired."

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CLARENCE PORTER

"I have to have a project in mind before starting in my studio. It comes from having a commercial illustration background where drawings/paintings were project driven. By the way, I always have a lot of projects in mind and it’s just having time to get to them all."

"SEEING gets my creative juices flowing. Not just looking but SEEING. SEEING lights bouncing across a lake at dawn or shadows racing away and vanishing or dark storm clouds, golden lit beneath or people hurrying or people sitting still or…just SEEING life."

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VICTORIA PEARCE

"Getting to the canvas in these unnerving times is the most difficult part of creating. Distractions are everywhere but once a brush is in my hand I am lost, happily and gratefully lost in the process and a very special elation takes over."

 "Sitting and looking closely at my photo record of the wondrous places I have paddled or hiked gets me in the mindset to create. Maybe it’s the nature of the labyrinth style I work in that fully immerses me for it requires I be fully present in a meditative state of mind."

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ALEDA O'CONNOR

"The lockdown has been oddly liberating for me, like a sort of residency that demands some risk-taking and a search for new ways of doing things. Consequently my studio has become a very important playground these days. I have been pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, experimenting with unfamiliar media and techniques and giving myself permission to have as much fun as possible."

"My routine is varied but I like to get started early while everything is quiet.  Last summer, I studied at the Royal Drawing School in London. That experience introduced me to a lively online life-drawing community which now provides some scheduling structure to my days and gets me going before dawn to ‘join’ other artists from all over the world."

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