Tonight I’ve opened a new blog in the saturated ‘blog-o-sphere’ to rekindle my creative impulses, and to help shape them into a focused initiative.
Tonight I was introduced to Charlie Harper’s (1922-2007) amazing geometrical wildlife illustrations. To make a point, and to parallel this blog’s creation with his work, let me introduce you to a immediate favorite of mine, Quail Safe:
Harper’s work is, at first glance, complicated; while at the same time maintaining an amazing simplicity. To me, this seems to call for extreme control and careful planning. He must have spent years crafting his style, working through various stages of impulse and refinement, until he arrived at the misleadingly simple technique.
When I first saw this piece, I thought ‘I wish I had come up with that style- so simple and yet so elegant’, as though it was something that immediately came to him when he touched pen to paper. It was only after browsing a few other pieces of his that the obvious occurred to me- that this was a complex execution of elements he had worked out over a good span of time. This is what I call The Creative Process of Finding A Motif.
I’ve always understood, but rarely took into account, that an artist’s style is cultivated as he grows. No one (or extremely rarely, in the case of exceptions) does one start with such a solid, personal vision in mind that they don’t alter it in the course of things. Perhaps one might refuse to abandon their style they begin with, but this can only be seen as stubborn and stunting.
And so to draw on that process as a parallel to this new blog, I’m starting with a veritable mish-mash of styles running through my head right now, and only over the life of this blog will they come to be refined. Right now, this blog is purposeless- in the sense that it has every purpose open to it. I will post interesting videos, articles, and other such bytes as well as personal work, journal entries, and random entities. Only over time will that motif come out of the e-woodwork, you could say.
If no one follows this blog, its main purpose will not suffer. It will remain my favored tool in this round of the creative process. If anyone chooses to stick with me, my experience can only be augmented. It’s not clear how things will shape up, but until then (and beyond) I’ll certainly enjoy it.
Cheers.
for more information on Charlie Harper, check out the resources (found on this Drawn! article) below:
Charlie Harper on Wikipedia
Audio interview with Todd Oldham
Charlie Harper illustrations fanclub on Flickr
Video interview on Handmade Modern
