Creating a Powerful
Moment
by Stefan Baumann
I have recently toured lecturing on The power to Create,
which is an incredible two-hour conversation on what it
is like to be an artist and how does one create art? The
audience seemed to be moved by what was discussed, and
what a difference this conversation has had on their lives.
This overwhelms me!
After one of the lectures, I came home and assessed a
painting on my easel.
I started the painting “Storm in Aspen” as
a Plein Air piece of Maroon Bells, Colorado. It depicted
a fine day at the lake with little to do with what I completed
in my studio.
The sky was a typical azure hue; the foreground festooned
with pretty lavender flowers and the lush marsh served
as a verdant backdrop. I produced a nice painting, but
it’s BORING!! I often look at paintings done on
location, and find I’m longing for more emotions
from the artist. Growing up in South Lake Tahoe, I remember
my favorite days were before a storm hit, and the winds
would gust and the skies darken. Rays of brilliant light
beamed from the heavens as if God is pointing lovingly
at His divine creation.
I ask myself these questions: How can a landscape image
suggest depth once it has been realized in strokes that
are as flat and opaque as the surface that supports them?
How can I grasp what moves me when I’m not inspired?
Can I paint the same theme over and over and not get tired
with it? And finally: Where am I in all of this?
A canvas should be considered as an arena where the
artist is invited inside it. There the artist is encouraged
not just to recreate, but also to cook from scratch!
Inviting the painter to fashion from within, and not
record what’s in front like a camera. To put your
soul into it. Now, harmony and drawing should not be
denied, but rather displaced, absorbed into another
level of work – that of jester. The painting should
no longer be executed; it should be invented.
Instead of an artist just painting what is in front
of him, rendering stroke by stroke, mechanically; the
painter should use gesturing of hand, capturing the
moment, wind and light. He should stay clear from his
notions that art is a structured skill needing to be
a certain way and shifting from object to creator. Thus,
the painter becomes the triumphant fusion of humanity
and the vast unbridled forces of nature, striking a
visual statement.
If you would like to attend a free lecture on The Power
To Create, or if you prefer Stefan Baumann to visit
your art group please contact him at Baumann@thegrandview.org
, or visit his website at www.thegrandview.org
for dates, locations, and details.
