A Passion For Margaret River … and Good Storage
Big Margaret River Water Lily Pool Moon by Ken Rasmussen
I am surrounded by Margaret River forest right now. Birds fly overhead and waterlilies spread themselves out across the water. The colours are vivid and I can feel the life in everything.
This is the view in front of me as I sit in my studio. There are several large paintings of Margaret River all around me. They're sitting side by side on easels or propped up on shelving. They are my current works in progress.
I feel very happy looking at what I've created. I just love the colours. I'm drawn to the trees, the moonlight and the water. I'm always looking for ways to make those colours more interesting. They might seem random and eccentric, but in a lot of ways they are the true colours of Margaret River.
It's very helpful to have space like this to sit with the paintings together. It gives me time to reflect. Each work is the stepping stone to the next. The art itself sets my direction by gently suggesting how I might move forward.
This is the reason why I'm so passionate about space and storage. I've come to understand that artists need both to thrive. A lot of artists don't progress and they feel depressed. They feel diminished that its some failure on their part. To be honest, failure is mechanical. They fail because they don't have space, they don't have the materials and they can't practise.
People think they've failed because they haven't got it right the first time. You never get it right the first time. The best art resource that you could have is adequate storage. Storage means that you can keep on generating work. You can come back to look at your mistakes and learn from them and grow.
That's what I'm doing this morning. I'm drinking tea in the company of my Margaret River paintings. I feel grateful to have this time and this space to see what's been done and understand how my next painting of Margaret River will be even better.
Interested In A Painting?
I recommend you arrange a visit to my studio because then you can see the colours and textures of my paintings up close. You'll find my email and phone are on the Contact Page.