So how about it? Have you made some New Year's resolutions this year? Probably you've made the usual 'eat and drink less and exercise more' kind. However, what about putting more creativity into your life? With all the bad news going on in the world combined the dark and rainy days of winter, doing something creative is the perfect to brighten up your life.

The image on the right is from a book called One Painting a Day. I was really attracted by this book because of the high quality of images; they are not the usual bland images of fruit that you often see in painting how-to books. The paintings in the book are from a range of young artists working today in the U.S. This isn't really a how-to book per se but rather a book on how to inspire yourself to make a painting a day for a period of six weeks.

There is a lot of material written on the importance of creativity: we all know it is good for our physical well-being and mental health. I like this article, Creativity in Everyday Life where the author, Shelley Berc writes "why is creativity important in everyday life? Simply put, it is because it makes life infinitely interesting and fulfilling." I always tell people that the best reason to take an art course is not to become a great artist, but rather to make your life way more interesting, and who wouldn't want that?

Another book offering a lot of creative inspiration is a new one by Cat Bennett called Making Art a Practice: 30 Ways to Paint a Pipe (How to be the Artist You Are). Again I love this book because of the wide array of artwork included. The title comes from a play on the Magritte painting, Ceci n'est pas une pipe, and the book gives 30 suggestions on how to start a creative project. We all need motivation and inspiration at some time and this is a great little pick-me-up book when you need just that. You can open book randomly and try any of the suggestions in or out or order.

Of course the problem with books is sometimes you just read them and don't take the next step and make work. You really can't beat an art course to keep you motivated on an on-going basis. If you haven't done much art before and are looking for a great place to start, Jeremy Herndl's Painting: Introduction I on Wednesday nights starting next week (Januuary 22) would be an excellent choice. Jeremy is a great teacher and his method is teaching people not only how to use the material (paint, brushes, canvas), he also shows students how to pay attention to what they see. The results he gets from beginning students is always amazing. If you are a beginner looking for a basic course to learn the skills o painting, or if you know somebody who is looking for such a course, check out Painting I. Here are some examples of work from one of Jeremy's Painting I courses (keep in mind these students were all complete beginners when they started the course!). 

To register on-line now: Painting I

Woodblock printmaking is a great introduction to the artmaking process because it includes printmaking techniques, drawing and well as a sculptural component as you carve out a piece of wood to create an image. Students can choose to work in an abstract or representational format. This course is open to all levels of experience and consists of six sessions that are each six hours (10am-5pm with an hour break for lunch). The full day gives students the opportunity to have a concentrated period of time that allows for a really great focus on their projects. For a more detailed description and sample images or to register on-line: Printmaking: Woodblock

Image: Joichi Hoshi (1913-1979) Withered Grass B. Color woodcut with silver leaf, 1978.