The benefits of working in a series

I recently read a post from an artist asking for advice on how to paint more inspired work and do something that excites him. When I go through a dry spell I do a series of paintings based on the same theme. I find this frees my creativity up to create something riskier than I would typically do because I know there will be another shot at the same basic idea. Also as I work I find myself “banking” ideas for use in the next piece. Those ideas are usually breakthroughs on the verge of changing your work in ways you never expected. These are the first two paintings in my new series featuring beach umbrellas. I am entranced by the way the light reflects off the tops and comes through the underside and creates a glow. Unfortunately these pictures were taken from my ipad because yesterday I lost my hard drive on my laptop. The resolution isn’t great but I’ll retake them when I’m back on a computer. It’s a beautiful challenge in capturing light and perfect for my Nantucket Solo Show coming up at Nantucket Artworks Gallery August 17 on Centre Street on Nantucket Island, Mass.

The next painting will be done from the paintings shown here. When you paint from your work you can achieve a different result than you do while working from the subject and photographs.