Nurturing Creativity-Part I

Nurturing creativity is a big job but I am up for it! For me, it's not as simple as walking into the studio and picking up a paint brush. My whole life needs to be about living full out passionately and creatively as a way to feed my heart and soul.  Hopefully, that focus translates to what I create in my studio.

Thinking back on the past few days of what fed my creativity I noticed these are some of the things that brought inspiration to me:


Dancing. There is always dancing before dipping my brush into paint.  I also had a ton of fun dancing and drumming this weekend at our Co-housing Community's Annual Feast Day.

Doodling and sketching. I think I have always had a writing instrument in my hand since birth. It helps the old ADD situation to scribble while attempting to concentrate!

 
Life Drawing Group is a a new found lifeline.for me. It's so very different from the work I do professionally. It truly creates new openings in my brain that make things flow a bit easier when I hit that canvas with cold wax! I LOVE it!

The Artist's Way. Huge topic but something that has helped me uncover my creativity and feeds my spirituality beyond measure. I have participated in many groups, facilitated some and even attended one led my Julia Cameron herself.  The entire process is a lifestyle for me that I recommend to anyone wanting to know themselves better.

Nature is critical in nourishing my creativity. I mean, I paint trees. I owe it to them to be out there with them showing them my gratitude. Plus, it's clearly fall in Santa Fe and that makes my heart sing!

Meditation happens almost every morning of my life and keeps me on the sane side of the scale so I can get crazy with paint after I've had coffee!

Photography- nothing fancy here. But, taking pics of ordinary things gives me moments of focus and appreciation for the beautiful things surrounding me.  

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it" Alice Walker

Who knows I might even be inspired to paint something purple!

Thanks for stopping by. I'll post Part II on what helps me stay inspired later.

My website has some new paintings and  news of upcoming events. I hope you will visit me there and sign up for my newsletter. http://lisaadamsreed.com/

On this beautiful fall day that's HOW I SEE IT!  What inspires you??

What the heck is cold wax?

When I say I am an artist working in Cold Wax and oil, the next comment is often "Oh, Encaustic!" Many people know about or have heard of Encaustic painting which is a totally different ball game using heated beeswax. Hot vs. cold---get it?  I thought I'd share a resource that explains what cold wax is, how it works, resources and artists (including moi of course, go see!) who work largely in this, my personal favorite yummy medium-Cold Wax. All you ever wanted to know about cold wax and the artists who love it>  COLD WAX PAINTING. 

Don't you just want to get your hands in it? Psssst...SECRET: I reach into the gallon jug of Cold Wax with my hand and slop it right onto my palette-by the handful! It's a messy business I tell you. I love the super creamy, almost sensual, feel of it. Plus, I paint with my heart and soul and I suppose that begins with my fingertips. When you come to my studio, you WILL touch it, too. It's my way of entertaining my guests and sharing my passion. Stop on by when you're in Santa Fe or just look in on my website. Bunches of new things on the horizon so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss all the important stuff i.e shenanigans. http://lisaadamsreed.com/
 

Blog CPR

Wow!  I haven't posted a thing to this blog since May 2011. So many reasons I suppose- busy family, work, enjoying all that life in Santa Fe has to offer..yada yada.  I simply gave up a daily sketching practice. My art went an entirely different direction. Since I went through that little vision loss incident a few years ago, I always felt there was something new out there for me to create. I knew there was a medium, yet untried, that would make my heart skip a beat. And, I experimented with many things. I found the medium I loved in something I had never even heard of until a year or so ago. Cold Wax! It's the yummiest. Mixed with oil paint, it goes on like creamy canned frosting. More on the process later.

I've been into this stuff like a crazy woman, painting like a maniac. My dear friends Jilly and Danny and Ralph http://www.posterboyz.com/ gifted me with a website for my recent birthday to spur me on and nudge me to sell my creations. It's been such a delightful reinforcement to have people buying my paintings right out of the gate. My heart is in my art and it brings me great joy when people enjoy it and are willing to pay for it!

So, if you've hung around this long to share my journey, I'll be extra tickled if you go check out my new website. And, if we're not already friends on facebook, we should be. That's How I See It :)

Come see me. I hope you like :)
http://www.lisaadamsreed.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LisaReedSF
https://www.facebook.com/lisa.adams.reed