Creative Inspiration

Finding Creative inspiration

| Patricia

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ~ Albert Einstein

Love this quote from one of my art instructors at the Dundas Valley School of Art (Ontario, Canada) back in the 70s.

Gordon Perrier was not only a renowned painter, but a creative thinker of the first order. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend his courses.

The expansive way I’ve grown to think about the arts, painting, drawing, plastic arts (mostly hand-built porcelain clay works), creative writing, etc., was influenced, in part, by these early creative experiences.

Where do you find inspiration for your art or creative writing? Leave a message in the comments.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

10 Fascinating Facts About Art from Neuroscience

| Patricia

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.” ~ Albert Einstein

Great article: exploring art in relationship to the brain.

Did you know that creating or viewing art can rewire your brain? Whether you’re an artist, an art lover, or just curious about the mind, the relationship between art and the brain is fascinating. From boosting memory to enhancing problem-solving skills, art engages our brains in unique and powerful ways.

Art can make you a better problem-solver.

Working with clay will calm you down, more so than drawing with a pencil. Note: I can attest to this having worked in plastic arts for years. Nothing like ‘playing in the mud’.

Empathy shapes how we experience art.

Different kinds of art light up different brain areas.

Creating art can boost memory as we age.

Instruction in art-making may make your brain more relaxed.

Art-making activates reward pathways in the brain.

See story here.

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

The Value of Miniature Sketching

| Patricia

“A day is a miniature eternity.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I try to adhere to a daily practice of creating something—be it a paragraph or two to further a story or verse; a thumbnail sketch, or a quick concept to be used later for a larger work of art. I like the challenge of doing tiny works, making sure they have the same impact and balance as larger pieces.

I found this 2” square seascape in an old sketchbook today. 

I generally list materials used for future reference: In this case, I used Faber-Castell, Grumbacher and Gallery Soft Pastels, plus a few CarbOthello pastel pencils. Created May 24, 2023, 1130am. 


What practices do YOU use to preserve ideas to use for later works?

All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Quick sketch of painted Posies in a glass vase

| Patricia

“ I paint flowers so they will not die.” ― Frida Kahlo

This quick sketch, painted in 2022, shows how much movement can be produced in a quick rudimentary study. In this case, I created this concept in Procreate, using oil paint brushes. This process makes it easy to quickly get a concept down which can then inform a later, more detailed, work using analogue materials. It’s quick. It’s better for the environment (fewer caustic materials going into landfill). It’s a great way to test positioning various elements on the page, experimenting with how the elements relate to each other as well as testing various ways to place the elements on the canvas (I’d move the main elements a bit to the right, tho not centred, in the next iteration).



All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Painting Sunny and Cloudy Skies

| Patricia

“The sky, a perfect empty canvas, offers clouds nonetheless. The shift and drift and beg interpretation. Such in the nature of art.” ~ Jeb Dickerson

Explore light, color and movement in cloud studies inspired by those of John Constable.

Artists Network has a good tutorial on painting skies from Maria Baggetta. Take a look and consider a membership. I’ve been a member for a couple years and, even as a seasoned artist, I constantly find interesting information and techniques to explore. Click the image below to read the article.

7 Tips for Painting Sunny and Stormy Skies

by Marla Baggetta

All artwork and writing is Copyright of the artist/author.

Book: ARTISTS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD

| Patricia

“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.”  ~ Salvador Dalí

Just picked up this book. ARTISTS WHO CHANGED HISTORY, Kindle version, at 96% off, on Amazon.

Features Manet, Botticelli, El Greco, Leonardo, Degas, Rodin, Bernini, Holbein, Van Eyck, Rubens, Klee, Cézanne, Vermeer, Hogarth, Titian, Michelangelo, Tiepolo, Chagall, Kandinsky, Constable, Cassatt, Mondrian, Raphael, Van Dyck, Goya, Bruegel, et al.

Amazon Canada: https://is.gd/Tuyw1q Amazon USA: https://is.gd/mOja94

excellent guide to pen and wash painting

| Patricia

“Anyone who stops learning is old. Whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ~ Henry Ford

Pen and Wash, an artist‘s guide to combining ink and watercolour by John Harrison.

I recently purchased John Harrison’s excellent book: PEN and WASH – an artist’s guide to combining ink and watercolour.

Though I have worked in these mediums for years, I believe that we can always learn new techniques or ways of looking at creating, from others.

Like Mr. Harrison, I was also a graphic designer, and found that my design was influenced by the knowledge of scale and placement that I learned studying fine art. Check out this excellent guide: https://drawninyorkshire.com/pen-and-washthe-book/

The book is also available on Amazon and as Kindle and Kobo downloads.



All artwork and creative writing is Copyright ©️ of Patricia White. No use of this content or concept may be used without the express permission of the artist/author.

Speckled Apple Eco-Conscious ANALOGUE+DIGITAL Painting 7-23

| Patricia

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
~ Martin Luther


Painted earlier this year, Speckled Apple, is another member of my ongoing exploration of the humble fruit using various techniques and materials. This particular piece started as an acrylic/watercolour background created with painting palette ‘leftovers’ (see the background here) as part of my ongoing practice of working in an eco-conscious studio. The image was imported into the Procreate application on my 12.9” iPad Pro, where the concept and details were added. More and more I find myself combining my analogue artwork with digital concepts and/or enhancements—a perfect ‘marrying’ of traditional paint and paper/canvas works, in this case combo acrylic wash on canvas paper, with digital brushes and tools. All artwork is Copyright©️Patricia White 2023 and should not be used without permission.

Multiple media: A world of Hurt in those eyes

| Patricia

“The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.”
~ St. Jerome

A World of Hurt in Those Eyes - Multiple mediums.

Today I combined my DAILY SKETCH with a bit of CREATIVE WRITING, a paragraph I jotted down for a story I’m writing.

SCENE: Madeleine is taking a walk up the main street of her town, trying to come to grips with the fact that her best friend, has just died under mysterious circumstances.

Madeleine was looking at her reflection in a store window, and momentarily wondered who that old woman staring back at her might be. “Oh, dear” she murmured. “I almost didn’t recognize myself” she thought. “Then again”, she realized “there’s something about the eyes”. Madeleine was right. There was a world of hurt in those eyes. An untold story of pain and loneliness, betrayal and despair; a lifetime of dreams put on the shelf for another day. A day that never came.” Multiple mediums were used to draw this sketch. It was then scanned and enhanced digitally.

Artwork Copyright Patricia White, March-11-2023.