Fresh off the Easel

"Gerbera Daisies: Harbingers of Spring"
12 x 12, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

Is it possible that we have actually (finally!) experienced the last frost of the winter season? In most areas of the country, Spring arrived late this year, and been quite chilly. But that hasn't stopped me from expressing the enthusiasm of the season in my studio!

"Trio, Yellow"
12 x 12, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

It all started with the Gerbera daisies. I have always regarded these flowers as true harbingers of spring, especially the yellow ones. Almost everybody finds the color yellow to be cheery and warm. After all, yellow has long been associated with the sun, with its bright and life-giving light. From a scientific point of view, it's also interesting to note that the

Across the Ages

Rodin with his collection of ancient sculpture, c. 1910

In "Combining Two Loves", I wrote about Auguste Rodin's affinity for ancient Greek sculpture. Visiting the Rodin Museum in Paris, one can see clearly the influence of the ancients on Rodin's own work. Rodin assembled his own collection of Greco Roman forms and fragments, which he kept close at hand for inspiration. In fact, the way that Rodin drew from the  ancients to create a completely modern genre was one of my strongest impressions from the museum. I can't articulate my reaction with perfect clarity, but I can say that my heart and mind leapt up when I saw how a creative genius like Rodin was able to grasp the souls of great work by early masters, and embody them in a revolutionary new work that is entirely his own. 

Left: Parthenon
Right: Rodin

When I visited the Rodin Museum, I scribbled down this quote from Rodin: "I have built a collection of mutilated gods and ancient sculptures. I spend time with them and they

Keepin' On

A start on some roses...
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

Sometimes I'm really fired up about a subject I'm working on, and I can't wait to rush back to the studio every morning. But then there are other times. Other times when it's a matter of summoning the discipline to "show up", and just keep working. Non-painters sometimes think that art stems purely from a burst of creative energy--but there is always a lot of study, practice and technical development behind the creativity. And (at least for me) it's important to maintain a routine, to avoid a long hiatus in the work, if I want to keep moving the skills forward.

I recently read a saying attributed to the great musician Artur Rubinstein. He said , "If I don't practice the piano for one day, I know it. If I don't practice it for two days, my family knows it. If I don't practice it for three days, my public knows it." There's a lesson in this for all of us!

In Madeleine L'Engle's book Walking on Water, she reflects on the process of making art. L'Engle notes that the moment of inspiration does not come cheaply, nor to those who fail to work hard for it. She comments on the "strange paradox:  your technique must be practiced until it is as close to perfect as you can make it, and then, and then only, are you free to let go, to let yourself get out of the way." And that's when the magic happens.

"Yellow Roses, Footed Vase"
16 x 12, oil on linen
(c) LEsley Powell 2018

This very same point is made in a totally different contact in the book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect by Bob Rotella. Alas, I don't have a copy so I can't find the exact quote. But the concept has always stuck with me: the great golfers practice ceaselessly, until their club choice, swing, judgment, and strategy are second nature. Only then can they walk onto the course the day of the tournament and relax, rely on instinct, feel the game, and win. I hope that some day I can bring this same level of instinct to the canvas! Meanwhile, practice makes perfect. Here's to Keepin' On!

Happy Easter!

"White Roses in Footed Vase"
18 x 18, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2018

Wishing you a very happy Easter,

and all the joy and hope

of the season!