Guest Artist Blog Post: Inspiration and Community by Scott Anstett
Inspiration is an important factor for an artist. It is quite common to hear it said that inspiration is “drawn from” something. I have found that it most often works its way in to the creative process surreptitiously. Inspiration is a sneaky thing. When I first came in contact with Art for All it was through my desire as a former educator to donate funds to an organization that was doing transformative work through art in the local community.
As I grew to know many of the participants and to work more closely with these artists I began to see elements of their work process appear in mine; the fearlessness to experiment, the melding of styles, the use of products and tools that were not normally used in “fine art.” The Art for All artists created art that was energetic and joyful, and I wanted my art to exude that at times. One of my multi media paintings, “That Tender Age,” was created with these elements in mind and won the “Joyful Art” award at the Lynn Hanson Gallery’s annual ICON show in April. My most recent work, “Sabine,” tapped in to this same energy and incorporated Posca paint markers for the detailed designs between the moon images, which I then glazed over with transparent Prusssian Blue. This was a grand experiment for me that tied directly in to an Art for All “Peace Pole” project where artists and community members worked together to create designs for outdoor display art. The Art for All artists continue to inspire me with their constant dedication to their work and their continued addition of new projects, tools, and techniques to further their creativity. www.scottanstett.com
