The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

Sometimes the creative

impulse involves capturing

the personality of a

location. The buildings in

Boulevard de la Ligne

(watercolor on paper,

14x19) represent the

South of France, where

I’ve lived for two years.

within, so the quality of our thoughts is the key to maintaining that

deep-rooted enthusiasm.

Quality thoughts exclude the ego-driven ones—the killers of our unique

creativity. Here are examples: “I wish I could paint like that,” “I think I paint better

than she does,” “When will I sell another painting?” This is the voice in our head

that’s constantly evaluating, judging, critiquing and opining. Just reading those

statements makes a person feel tired.

The problem is that as long as we’re occupied with this sort of thinking—or

any kind of thinking for that matter—we cannot get to that place where we’re

witness to our own creative insights.

Finding Zen at the Easel

In order to have access to our very own flashes of brilliance, we must stop the

thinking mind and find moments of presence. Stillness. This approach is also

64 Artists Magazine October 2019