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.

More on Project Re-inspiration.

I really appreciate the comments on the previous post about the creative process, blocks, inspiration, etc. Right now my progress is sidelined by a head cold, but I was able to complete my assignments from Lesley Riley over the weekend. I did the three pieces she assigned and journaled about the process. Here are a few excerpts:

"I enjoyed the process of this first piece a little. I was also aware of wanting it to be finished in a hurry. Since my settings are "high" and "off", I had to go into "high" to do the assignment..."

"I notice that the second piece is less tentative and more vibrant than the last. I felt more positive when I made it...I realize I have let myself get so caught up in the business aspect of art that I forgot about the art itself. ..I keep learning that I have to be myself and any attempts not to end badly..."
 
"For the third piece I found myself wanting to work in collage. I decided to take a break for the assignment and collage this journal's cover. In the middle of the process I decided that the cover would be the third piece. It went fast and intuitively and was more fun than the two previous pieces."

"It's such a strange experience to make art for my eyes only, as Lesley assigned. I want to show it off: "Look what I did..."

After I did the assignments I tried one of my favorite prompts. I cut a stack of rough squares at random from the middle of a magazine. (Home decoration magazines work well.) Then I went through the stack, looking for images that could be a jumping off point for an art piece. I tried to look at shapes and colors and to ignore what the square might actually depict. I glued the squares on the back of my journal. I will pick one to inspire my next piece. Try this at home! You could use one of my "squares" from the picture below if you like! I'll let you know later which one I pick for my inspiration.

I'd love to see any results or read any reports from your trying this technique!