At Crossroads - which way to go?

Sometimes in our lives we come to crossroads and events that change the direction of where we are heading. I have reached that point in both art and life recently but now i am struggling which way to go?

As for life, well i wont go into that on my blog, that would be a story that would lean itself to a very typical soap opera which i don't want to embarrass you all with. *sigh* Lets just say its made me assess my life, my relationships, my strengths and how i am existing in the world its been a good step forward despite the angst and heartbreak of it all. And has made me realise i am a much stronger person than i give myself credit for and all i can do is do my best and that's an ok thing to live by :)

As for art, i feel like my style is changing my techniques are changing and what was once a satisfying subject is now not measuring up. Which don't get me all wrong is good, in fact its GREAT as i know its how I move forward but the pitfall is now that i am stuck ! not knowing where to turn what to tackle next, where to make that mark on the page, what materials to use?

I have ideas of what i want to paint in my head, but i cant finalise them, i start to sketch and i feel like my skills aren't strong enough or cant get down what i want so i move away to something else but ends up that being the same thing. I have been looking at many other artists websites and styles and i get discouraged as i have all this self doubt on being able to do anything remotely decent.

I feel like i have lost that freedom which comes with just creating something fun as i am always trying to make it look "real" or a certain way rather than just having fun (you know how expensive the materials get .. i don't want to waste them). I think i need to just let go rather than trying to "achieve" something everytime i do anything!

As i read through this all it sounds silly and i know this is something all creative people go through and its just a matter of working through it. So i am hoping just writing this post will help me do that and you know what i feel better already !!!! wooT

inspiration

I think i have an urge to give oils another whirl!!! I have been looking at a few artists work recently who just have such rich colours and textures i would just love to try to achieve which is i think alot harder to do in acrylic. The messiness has put me off as has the drying time especially with the two littlies running around. But i am thinking i am at the point where i want to experiment. I think first tho i am going to make myself finish off this piece i started at the beginning of the year .. its one of my goals is to finish works before moving to next ones so i have this and my pears to do before going further. So nag me to see it!!! Cause i need someone to make me do it!!

While we are on inspiration one of my favourite artists who i have admired for years is an Australian artist and photographer David Baxter - http://www.studiobaxter.com/

Last night i was revisiting his work and i just love it not only the way he captures textures and lighting but also his subjects are just so interesting. He just comes up with some fabulous things its just fabulous. I particularly love the way he does his skies something i really want to give a go working on as i cant seem to get them right with cp or acrylic. On his recent works page he has a "step by step exposé " of how he paints. Its very interesting to see how he works very similar to the old masters, well worth a look especially for oil painters but also for other artists as well.

One more thing i am excited about...BOOK -"Masterful Colour" by Arlene Steinberg

I have just seen this promotion for Arlene's new book which is due to come out in March 2008 which i will definitely be purchasing and so excited about...

Arlene is one of the people responsible for my love of CP's she first dazzled me with her wit and her CP techniques (through her tutorials on WetCanvas and then on SribbleTalk). She is an absolutely fabulous teacher and definitely knows her stuff so i am excited about this you can preorder the book via paypal or just go to see the front cover here. http://www.arlenesteinberg.com/MasterfulColorPage.htm