Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

52 Artists & Illustrators

MASTER LANDSCAPE PAINTER RAY

BALKWILL SHOWS YOU HOW TO GET

THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING BY

CHANGING YOUR APPROACH

SPRING

LANDSCAPE

RAY’S CHALLENGE

Getting your creative juices to fl ow is

not always easy. As Henri Matisse

once said: “Creativity takes

courage”. It can be easy to settle

into a groove, choosing a particular

subject or style that is no longer fed

by vital or intense experience.

In order to break out of this habit,

I begin each year by setting myself

a new challenge – this may simply

involve tackling a new theme or

choosing a different medium.

I fi nd this not only stimulates me

as a painter and forces me to think

differently, but also keeps my work

fresh and prevents the process

from becoming too repetitive.

For this project, try to make a

painting using something that is

new to you. This could be as big as

using a whole new medium or

subject, or as small as trying a

different sized canvas or a different

type of brush. More often than not,

a painting made with an unfamiliar

element is far more exciting and the

lack of knowing what comes next

will keep you on your toes.

So be courageous and forget any

preconceived ideas; just enjoy the

process and let your creativity fl ow.

ORIGINAL PHOTO

43 Spring Projects.indd 52 18/02/2016 11:31