by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 30, 2017 | Art Practice
As you might have noticed, a lot of my work revolves around the concept of difference – a dark shape next to a light shape, a subtle mark next to a bold mark, and so on. Sometimes, however, these elements are too separate from one another, and as a whole the...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 27, 2017 | Art Practice
Sometimes being an artist can feel hard, while other times it can feel inspiring and joyful. In trying to keep things more the latter, I try to keep the following five points in mind. All of them are available at anytime and there is no cost involved. I believe they...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 23, 2017 | Art Practice
One tool I like to use is large cardboard cut outs of various shapes. it’s a great way to add some variety to your mark...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 20, 2017 | Art Practice
Have you ever noticed that when you are making your art and it is all working out that it is almost as if you are not entirely there? You are driving the bus but it seems like you do not have to try very hard. Almost like it is driving itself. Art making sometimes can...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 16, 2017 | Art Practice
I just pulled an older piece of mine out from storage and was immediately struck by how similar the marks were in terms of value. Not that this is bad necessarily, but when compared with my more recent work, I quickly saw how this older piece was not as engaging. I...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 13, 2017 | Art Practice
In art, just as it is in life, more is not necessarily more. This is a hard one for me to remember. My default in may art making is to just keep adding things. If one kind of shape or mark feels good then surely 37 more will feel even better! Unfortunately, this...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 9, 2017 | Art Practice
I’ve been working on this giant blue painting for some time, and while I like where it’s at currently, there’s still a long way to go before it’s finished. Watch the video and see how I start to shift the composition. Leave a comment and let me...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 6, 2017 | Art Practice
There is this really cool shop in Portland that I accidentally wandered into last week. At first blush it just looks like a metal junk shop but peering in the window as I went past, I realized that this just wasn’t any old junk shop. This shop was only selling old...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jul 2, 2017 | Art Practice
One element that appears throughout my work is line – it’s such a simple concept and yet can add so much to a painting. Given that, I thought I would share with you my favorite tools for making lines. Watch the video and leave a comment. Do you find...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 29, 2017 | Art Practice
It seems like wherever we are in our art making, we always want to be someplace better. Often, our art or our ability to make our art feels inadequate. And it doesn’t feel so good. The real problem, however, is that this discontent sometimes never goes away. If we are...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 25, 2017 | Art Practice
A few nights ago I had a handful of people over at my studio for a night of art making. My friend and sculptor Joe Brubaker brought a bunch of small wood pieces with him, and everyone had the option of glueing them to their paintings. Adding this dimensional element...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 22, 2017 | Art Practice
The tricky part in life is making the right decisions. Everyone struggles with this. Lately I feel like I have been not doing so well at making decisions. It is hard to know because what might, at first, feel like a mistake, maybe down the road, will feel right. I...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 18, 2017 | Art Practice
I just started working on a diptych and have already put down a bunch of marks. While I’m pleased with what I have so far, the piece isn’t particularly harmonious – some colors and shapes are much more noticeable than others, and the overall effect...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 15, 2017 | Art Practice
Maybe you haven’t been able to make your art for 6 months and now feel disconnected from it. Maybe the last painting or sculpture you made wasn’t as good as you imagined. Maybe your last show wasn’t as successful as you had hoped. Even though these slightly...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 11, 2017 | Art Practice
I recently started 2 new pieces and for a moment I had a bit of anxiety, trying to figure out where to begin! And then I remembered the secret to getting started. Watch the video and share your thoughts and comments. What is the first thing you do when you have a new...
by Nicholas Wilton | Jun 8, 2017 | Art Practice
Do you ever feel like you know what you want to accomplish but get overwhelmed in the process? I do. Whether I have given myself a goal of making a whole new series of paintings or dreaming of doing a workshop in Morocco. It doesn’t matter what the thing(s) is I am...
by Nicholas Wilton | May 28, 2017 | Art Practice
I was working on a painting today and was having a bit of difficultly figuring out where to go next…and then the solution hit me! Click on the image to watch the video and let me know what you think – how do you get past potential roadblocks in your art?...
by Nicholas Wilton | May 21, 2017 | Art Practice
I just returned from a 3 day conference that focused on entrepreneurs and people starting small business. While there I had several realizations that are proving to be major game changers for my art practice, and now I’d like to share them with you. Watch the...
by Nicholas Wilton | May 18, 2017 | Art Practice
It seems like wherever we are in our art making, we always want to be someplace better. Often, our art or our ability to make our art feels inadequate. And it doesn’t feel so good. The real problem, however, is that this discontent sometimes never goes away. If we are...
by Nicholas Wilton | May 14, 2017 | Art Practice
In my efforts to become a better teacher, I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading on how people learn. What I’ve discovered is that there are basically 4 stages of learning, each of which presents their own challenges and opportunities. Which stage are...
by Nicholas Wilton | May 7, 2017 | Art Practice
I’ve recently had a change in how I think about my work when it is not going as well as I want it to. This change has helped me regain control of my creative process and has made it so much easier to paint. Take a moment to watch the video, and let me know how...
