Inspiration is Everywhere

 

The Old Rooster, 12" x 9", watercolour study

 

Blog 7

 

Since my fall down the stairs in December, I have only left the house for medical appointments. It has been only about two weeks since I started short walks outside. Being stuck at home, creating art saved me when I was frustrated by my limited mobility and the excruciating pain. Where did I find the inspiration for my art when nature looked like a vast space covered with a white blanket?



Luckily, we have a big yard with many trees and feathered friends. I created some drawings of the colourful birds by looking at the many photos I had taken and picking the postures and birds that I found the most appealing. If you want to capture animals on paper, quick sketches can help you. However, many people use reference photos for additional information.



If you look carefully, nature always offers inspiration for artworks. The rays from the sun create a fascinating play of shadow and light that is ever-changing. At the beginning of spring, areas of awakening nature with rests of snow and ice create appealing patterns. During the summer, you experience lots of brilliant colours. The fall landscape dazzles you with the fall foliage. Heavy snow on trees and brilliant sunsets capture my interest in winter.
 
 

 

Look at the collages I made of the same scene to document the same view during the past week. Are all of them exciting? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on the liberties you take. Just because you use a reference photo does not mean you have to stay close to what you see. It is the same way when you are painting on location. The artist has the opportunity to change a scene. Sometimes, the size of your canvas or paper makes it necessary. Other times you want to enhance something to make the composition more interesting.

 

There is inspiration all around us. Last week, during a week at the cottage, I got together with one of my painting friends. I had not painted in person with a friend since last fall. We know that we could not paint in nature because of my limitations. Therefore, we set up a still life on the veranda. We grabbed a couple of glasses and metal objects, a tea towel, a rooster and fake apples that were part of the kitchen decoration.

At the beginning of 2020, I taught a course, Let’s Draw What’s in Our Fridge. It is astounding what you can discover when you pick a couple of vegetables or fruits and really look at them. We were all surprised at how colourful a simple sweet potato was and admired the shiny peel of a red onion.



When you want to create a still life, setting up a composition that looks appealing can be the hardest part of the process. You want to make sure that the objects overlap and that your eye travels around the setting. However, you don’t need extraordinary things. Look at a couple of masterpieces, and you will discover that fruits and vegetables make great painting subjects. These paintings can also offer you some inspiration for your own still life. Explore the use of everyday objects from your house. Place simple items together that you love. Experiment with things that have nothing in common and those which share similar shapes or colours. Staying in a colour family can be as exciting as using complementary colours.

 

What you see and feel can also inspire your art. Some people create stunning artworks from their imagination without any obvious inspiration from their environment.

Expressing yourself through art takes some courage to get started, but the more you create, the more ideas you will get for new projects. Don’t create art thinking about how others will see your art but for your enjoyment. If you want to share it, absolutely do because you might inspire others to create. I always compare creating art to writing a journal. Some people feel the need to share their stories, while other people write them down for themselves to remember or work through experiences. There is no right or wrong. Pick up a medium you enjoy and start somewhere.

If you need some help figuring out where to start, send me a message to info@KerstinPeters.ca. While I am concentrating on needle felting, I know many other fantastic artists who offer courses in various mediums.

Being Grateful in Challenging Times

Peaceful Petrie Island Sunset, 9” x 12”, CAN $400

Blog 3


Almost ten weeks after my fall down the stairs, I can now walk small distances with a cane. However, I still depend on the walker in most situations. Walking with the cane still requires a lot of concentration. Since my accident, I have learned a lot about myself and what I took for granted. At the moment, I cannot quickly get up to get something. I have to plan what I need, especially if it is something that my husband has to get for me.

I also realized more than ever before how important it is to look for the bright side and to be grateful. I have to admit that I lost a lot of tears at the beginning when the pain was excruciating, and I was absolutely dependent on others. I thought about the weeks, if not months, that were ahead of me.

There was a day when I refused to eat because I was so down. However, I pulled myself back up and decided that I had to take it one day at a time and be thankful for the things I had. Here is a list of my fortunes:

I was lucky I wore a winter coat, even though I only wanted to let out our dog for a quick pee break.

I was lucky that it was a sunny day, and a couple found me very quickly when I cried for help.

I was lucky to be in a country where the ambulance team, doctors and nurses took excellent care of me.

I was lucky that I did not hit my head or injure my spine. My injuries will heal in time.

I was lucky that I did not catch COVID and left the hospital before the situation got worse. I have to admit that I feared that visitor restriction would prevent my family from coming.

I was lucky that I fell ten days before the holidays to make it home for Christmas and spend time with my husband, our children and pets.

I was lucky that my husband worked from home for the past two years because I needed someone to be there for me at all times. I am grateful that he cares so well for me. Knowing that we are a team has brought us much closer.

I was lucky that a good friend of mine could lend us a lot of the equipment I needed and that my husband could rent the rest in time for my arrival back home.

I was lucky that our house is a bungalow with extra-wide doors so that I could be moved around with a wheelchair (and can now easily fit the walker through the doors).

I was lucky that many people wrote to encourage me and wish
me well. Some friends brought cookies while others sent flowers. All these expressions of love filled me with so much joy.

I was lucky that I could still communicate with family and friends.

Periods of Time, 9” x 12”, not for sale

I was also lucky that I could use my hands and eyes. Although I read more and watched some TV, I felt the greatest contentment when I drew and felted. In my creative world, I still could express myself freely. Due to my increased interest in needle felted paintings, I have drawers full of beautiful colours of wool. The fresh colours lifted my mood and inspired me to further creations. I am glad for needle felting because I won’t make it into my studio and in front of the easel with my acrylic paints any time soon.

The patience I acquired when I cared for our old Australian Shepherd in his last month in 2020, when he got slower and slower but still enjoyed every moment, helps me now when I have to remind myself to accept my limitations. My life moves in slow motion right now, with my body guiding me during this period of healing. I have learned to accept it needs rest but that I also have to keep moving through the pain to get better.

It is easier to be grateful in retrospect, but it helps to celebrate the small successes and keep the next step in sight instead of getting overwhelmed by the whole road ahead.

What difficult situation has turned out to be a blessing for you? Has a creative outlet helped you to get through it?

Happy New Year

 

Winter Bouquet, watercolour, 9" x 12"

I hope you had a great start to the year 2022 and that you have gotten back to your creative activities. This year is the first time I have not started a Creativity Challenge in January. However, I started a daily drawing journal. I already miss some days, but that is OK. The healing of my fractures and the regaining of mobility is my priority at the moment. Four weeks after my terrible fall, I can finally move with a walker. I still have problems lifting my left leg, but focus on the steady progress. It is a big step to more independence. It was extremely challenging to be bound to the bed or wheelchair. At least I always have a great view of our yard and my wonderful nurses, Ingo and Shadow, around me. Aside from my daily physio exercises, I have discovered many exercise videos for people in wheelchairs which I do at least every other day.



Next week, I will start with blogs about how art has helped me in the previous weeks after the accident. I had hoped to have the blog ready for this week, but the pain medication, exercise and restless nights make me still quite tired. Next week, I will start with a blog about how art has helped me in the previous weeks after the accident.

 

I feel well enough to start my Felting Experience Winter Workshops at the end of January. If you register before today, January 14, 2022, at 10 pm, you can register for the early bird prices. While I want to invite you for the whole series, the Winter Combo, I also offer registration for the workshops separately. I am still working on the abstract piece. It should be finished by the end of the weekend. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.kerstinpeters.ca/product-category/registration/.