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See art in a fresh way.

Art can be about anything. It can be the things we see around us. It can be things never seen but for in our minds. It can be about our emotions or our mental calculations. It can be symbolic, literal, philosophical, political, or intimate.

Contemplating the blank canvas, and then through every stage of development, questions arise: what will it be? Why that and not something else? Is it working? Do I like it? Is it right? Does it convey what I feel? Is the shape of the ear anatomically correct? Is the color alive? Does the shape of the foot help or detract from the theme? Is there enough time to do this?

The inner voices that ask these questions may be colored as subtle queries or thunderous demands. All the them pulling for your attention, often freezing your creativity.

What is the answer to this phenomenon?

Please all the voices in your head.

Antonio, 1998, acrylic on panel, 12x16"

I believe we know that there is no magic pill, no guaranteed rule of aesthetics, and, yet, we all have the tools to answer and please these voices.

If you can radically shift your perspective and accept that all the inner voices  have something valid to contribute, you will find that they are awesome tools that will eventually lead to your artistic happiness and confidence.

Never dismiss a descending inner voice. Always take the time to listen to it.

For example, I enjoy taking breaks from my principal work to paint plein air,  landscape painting working direct from nature. Though a descending inner voice will tell me that it is not happy with the lack of detail or realism in this work. This is how the conversation might go:

Descending voice: "I can't see the details."

Pro-plein air voice: "We can do all the detail you want, but we only have an hour or less."

Descending voice: "What is so bad if we simply take more time and work at it for several hours?"

Pro-plein air voice: "Dummy, don't you remember that time we spent a whole morning on one landscape? Don't you recall it was dead as a doornail? The moving light of the sun kept highlighting new things in the landscape--at the time we were surprised that the more we worked the more new things we saw. The result was all the highlights canceled each other out--it looked awful."

Descending voice: "Yes, I recall that. Okay, but what then about taking photos? We can do the one hour oil sketch, and take details from the photo at home in the studio."

Pro-plein air voice: "We tried that too, but many of us voices were not too happy with the flatness and lack of vibrancy--every detail we added took away the freshness and the mood that makes plein air so special."

Descending voice: "Okay, I got it. You see I am not so stupid. But the next time we paint plein air I want us to paint as fast as humanly possible so that we might save 15/20 minutes to relish details. Okay?"

Pro-plein air voice: "That is a deal."

Talking yourself through the opinions of the descending voices and getting them to agree, and even sing in chorus, makes for great artistic growth and confidence.

I hope you enjoyed hearing voices in a fresh way.

Michael Newberry
New York, March 12, 2007

Del Mar, 2006, oil on panel, 12x16"

Desert Wave, 2006, oil on panel, 12x16"