Using the inspiration square

In the previous post I described how to use small squarish (or oblong) shapes cut from magazines for starting points in your work. This is one of my favorite ways to get un-blocked. I used an oblong piece cut from a home decor magazine for a starting point for a cold wax piece. Before I decided which piece to use I put a couple of layers of cold wax mixed with oil paint on a wood panel. It took about a day for the first layer to dry.

The first layer of oil paint/cold wax in Indian yellow and ochre

The second layer of buff.

As you can see, some of the first layer shows through. I used a faux finish comb, a brayer, and I incised into the wax. Then I selected the cut out oblong below as my starting point. I looked at the piece for composition and color and did my best not to think about what was actually pictured. (A chair?)

The oblong piece I used for inspiration.

The next segment of my piece looked a lot like the inspiration cutout.. I added a half circle on the right side for balance. (In the original oblong, there was a dark brown circle on the upper left. It got cut out in the above scan.) The picture below was taken indoors with my phone camera, so the color is off and it's a bit blurry.

At this point I felt free to diverge from the starting point oblong from the magazine. I loosened up the lower part of the piece.

For the final (?) version below I added a little gray blue for more interest. I could go on to add more layers, but for now I'm eager to go on to another piece using a magazine cut-out prompt.

Through trying this exercise and through sharing with you, I feel like I've moved past my block! I think changing to a medium I'm currently excited about is helpful also. There's something soothing about moving pigment and cold wax around with a painting knife and in discovering new tools to create effects in the wax.

I hope some of you will try this exercise and let me know how it went.

I'll be back with more prompts! I'm so grateful for my art community.