Two weeks ago, I had a wonderful comment from Liz in response to my post about using a ViewCatcher.
One Pear ©2015 Elizabeth Fram
She said:
I used to do exactly this (use a view finder) with students, only we were writing. We’d tape the frame to the window (our cafeteria had the most spectacular view and room for the whole class) and describe what we each saw.. then share to see what came up. Usually very poetic.. a different type of “sketch”.
3 Pears ©2015 Elizabeth Fram
What a great idea! It reminded me that, while perhaps counterintuitive, self-imposed limitations often lead to the best solutions by providing a fertile ground for creativity. It’s a pretty wide world out there and we are constantly faced with an overload of choices as we decide what to make and how to make it. That sense of boundless options can be a huge stumbling block; lack of structure frequently makes it hard to know where to begin. Self-constraints, on the other hand, are a portal to moving above and beyond — toward what seemed impossible without them.
Single Shadow ©2015 Elizabeth Fram
Lately I have been restricting my subject to Bosc pears (such expressive stems!), white foam core and strong light, leading to the discovery that those three elements provide endless possibilities!
Two Pears ©2015 Elizabeth Fram
For some excellent examples of varying artforms supporting this theory of limitation, take a look at this great article from Buffer … and become inspired!
Thanks Liz!
Too much of anything can be overwhelming. I’m with you and like to limit my palette or limit my subject or limit the time I spend on a painting. I love your third sketch especially because of the patterns just visible at the bottom. That’s a whole story right there.
Maria, I think your wave paintings are a wonderful example of finding depth and variety via limitations. I’m betting you’ve learned a lot from them.
(Anyone else reading this, check out Maria’s blog: https://mariemarfia.wordpress.com/ and keep scrolling to see what I’m referring to). She also posts slideshows that track the progress of a piece through its various stages — really interesting!
Also – I agree, that little bit of pattern from the tablecloth is a great foil to the calmness of the overall composition/subject. Thanks for picking up on it.
I also like working with limits. I think they refine the work. It’s a different sort of economy and it stretches my thinking and my creativity at the same time. Love the pears…especially the 3 pears for the complexity of the shadows….what kind of limits could you impose on that? There might be a couple more drawings there!
Well put Pam: an economy that stretches your thinking & creativity!
I feel like there are a myriad of new drawings possible, and it is tempting to get lost in them. This has been such an enjoyable exercise because of all I’m learning & in realizing the strength of the shadows as subject and how composition can be the strong voice for such a quiet subject.
Our creative minds can go crazy with so much stimulation and inspiration. It is like seeing an art show you go through several stages: impressed, overwhelmed, feeling inferior. It is was happens down the road with all that input that counts. We filter, eliminate, simplify then proceed ONE STEP AT A TIME and breath.
You have really arrived at the nut of the issue Dianne — SIMPLIFY. If you only knew how many times I have written that word in the margins of my sketch and log books!