The late abstract painter Agnes Martin spent the second half of her life living in solitude. She has been described as an artist who thrived on the discretion of inward silence. Agnes once said she “took pride in painting with her back to the world.” She also said “inspiration is where great works of art come from, not the intellect.”

In my quickness to agree with Agnes, I’m also left to reflect on the why.
How do we actually define the balance of the outward world taken in to create inspiration?

As a mentor of art I have been hearing from my students- at a fast growing rate over the decade- blanket statements in describing the art they do, such as;: “I am inspired by nature,” or “I love abstract expressionism” or this artist or that artist and not much beyond that....and I am left to question why?

My belief is that it’s a cultural thing. A post - post modern phenomena called social media that’s slowly killing off our artists in the making.

When I teach painting, I express that, when we work small it keeps us in the head and the intellect, and when we go large we engage all our senses.
It’s the broader perspective in relationship to the body that makes this so.
Our screens are keeping us smaller than our potential calls for.

Studies have shown that the average person spends seven seconds looking at a painting in person, and that is a generous estimate. Imagine what that number is as we look at images and paintings blasting at us at rapid fire speed on instagram.

What we end up doing, instead of taking in the poetic resonance of using all our senses to process, is an empty shell mental investigation to the formal elements of how a painting is made. This is especially true for abstract painting.

Surface considerations become the norm when viewing works of art on our phones… as opposed to feeling a connection by standing in front of a painting and taking it in.

As creatives we want to stay vital and original. It’s a delicate balance- to hone technique and take what has been created in the past into present time with a fresh and authentic expression.

What brings you inspiration?

A way to start-
Consider images/memories of your past that were important, bring them into the present and imagine them into the future differently. This becomes your personal narrative.

An example:
I spent my summers growing up in a family cabin my great grandfather built on Jolly Island, Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. It took a boat to reach the island, kerosene lamps to see in the dark, and a dark green pump we cranked to bring us water to our kitchen. When I close my eyes I can still feel myself on the main dock, water dripping off my two piece bathing suit- waiting in anticipation for the mail boat to arrive for it’s daily visit, which sold cold ice cream sandwiches, my connection to the civil world.

When I paint I can often feel the essence - the hypnotic hum of our out board motorboat - the smell of birch and pine- sweet vanilla ice cream -and cool clean water on a summer eve. I did not know it at the time but this sense of place has carried my inspiration to my core.

If your inspiration is nature- go feel the spaces you love most and bring it to your art making.

If it’s a spiritual practice, light a candle in your studio and bring the invisible into form.

If it’s the art that came before or still exists make a pilgrimage to visit it in person or plan a studio visit with a local artist.

I personally desire a deeper communion with art and the artists that surround me. I want dialogue.

So I start here with these words and ask, how can we put down our visual image making devices, stay connected - and name our personal inspirations through the art we make?

Thanks For Reading,

Where Are Your Seven Seconds of Inspiration Coming From

BACK TO TOP