Deborah T. Colter — news, thoughts and other things in the studio...

Open to the Possibilities

by Deborah on April 6, 2010

“Unexpected happenings are encouraged through a serendipitous, intuitive openness to possibilities. Although these efforts do not guarantee achieving the goal of each picture, fresh, exciting results are instigated whenever stepping off known paths.”

-Bonnie R. Beaver

"Providence" 40" x 40" work on canvas ©2010 Deborah T. Colter

"Confidential Providence" 40" x 40" work on canvas

I have been very selfish with my time lately - I have been obsessed with my paintings and have devoted the majority of my available hours to them and them alone. I have been destroying things, rebuilding, removing, applying, sanding, scraping, reworking. Trying new colors, shapes, angles everything I can think of to bring a fresh look to my work by stepping off known paths...

I have been concentrating on slowing my process down, simplifying somewhat and being open to the intuitive process of creating. It takes time to respond to those unexpected happenings within a piece. I am excited about the results so far and love that renewed spark of energy that comes with new work. Spring is here and there is much to be done for the upcoming show and gallery seasons, deadlines loom and obligations must be met. Although these efforts do not guarantee achieving the goal of success within of each picture, I believe it is true that fresh and exciting results can be achieved by stepping out of one’s comfort zone ocassionally. For that, I will try to remain open to all the possibilities…

I am pleased to be included in a show titled “Mixed Media” presented by Anelle Gandelman Fine Art at the AGFA Project Space in White Plains, NY. The show opens April 8 and runs through June 3, 2010.

“I destroy things every day in the act of working and often recall a picture I had considered finished in order to rework it.”
-Fred Auerbach

Painting is available.

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Let go and trust

by Deborah on March 18, 2010

“Let go and trust; allow inspiration and imagination to lead the way… beyond the limitations of what the mind knows.”
-Linda Saccoccio

Painting a lot these days - so much so that I seem to have neglected writing anything for a while. I have been consumed by the work at hand, preparing for an upcoming two person show at Gallery KH in Chicago, working on a large commission project for a Boston hotel lobby, organizing for spring festival shows and summer gallery openings, and making some neccesary changes in order to move forward. Change is not always easy. I am enjoying pushing my own limits a bit. Continuing to work on some new directions - focusing on letting go and trusting. I am not quite ready to post new works yet..still allowing my imagination to lead the way. Baby steps - giant leaps…stay tuned!

"After Treading Water" 60" x 48" Post 390 Boston, MA

I had occasion to visit Boston recently while dropping of some new pieces for Jules Place. My husband an I were able to vist the new restaurant Post 390, an upscale comfort food restaurant at 406 Stuart Street, where 6 of my original works are installed.

"Vanished Concentration" 60" x 48"

What a treat to actually see the paintings installed in their new home! We had a really nice lunch and enjoyed our visit with all the staff of this fabulous new restaurant.

Series of 4 works on paper

“It may take a leap of faith to be an artist and to trust that somehow with resolve, it will all work out and make sense to those who encounter it.”
-Alice Rich

All work in the collection of Post 390, Himmel Hospitality Group
Boston, MA

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Where do you get your inspiration?

by Deborah on February 19, 2010

“People who are not artists often feel that artists are inspired. But if you work
at your art you don’t have time to be inspired.”
-John Cage

Earlier in the week I read an interesting blog post by Alison Jardine titled “Inspiration is Irrelevant”. Alison speaks of her experience answering a simple question from a local college student on assignment. The question asked was, “Where do you get your inspiration?” her response was, “I answered immediately with the first words that materialized, and as I said them I knew they were, for me, completely true: ‘Inspiration is irrelevant’” she goes on to explain quite clearly, “Each painting I create is a distillation of my experiences of perceiving and existing, they are my answer and reaction to simply being.”

I too am often asked this question and I usually find myself stumbling over the answer. Where does my inspiration come from?? I agree with Alison’s response that each painting is a distillation of experiences, but is inspiration irrelevant to me?

"Wandering Among Ideas" 48" x 40" work on canvas

"Wandering On" 48" x 40" work on canvas

In the past weeks I feel as though I have been wandering among ideas. I have been looking a lot, trying new tools, new colors, new directions. Looking for a spark of “inspiration” to push my work just a little bit further. Digging deep, simplifying, complicating, pushing, struggling. I wrote previously that sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places - I still believe this. Inspiration, motivation, determination, are all a part of the daily process of creating and without the continuous internal dialogue of experiences there can be little room for any creativity. Inspiration may be irrelevant, but without the understanding that it is the continuous collection of experiences stored in our souls that feeds us as artists, it may be a bit difficult to understand the magic. I believe inspiration comes in many forms, it is everywhere, it can often go unnoticed and yes, perhaps it is often irrelevant, but it is also the intangible thing that people who are not artists always seek to understand. It is often that thing that there are no words for. I expect I will continue to stumble over my answer, perhaps inspiration is irrelevant and invaluable at the same time.

Thank you Alison for stating your thoughts so clearly.

“My ‘inspirational’ or creative process feels like a dialogue between the collection of experiences that comprise myself as well as my immutable core, and the lines, form, colors and light in the natural world.”
-Alison Jardine

Painting is available.

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An Artist is an Explorer

by Deborah on February 5, 2010

“An artist is an explorer. He has to begin by self-discovery and by observation of his
own procedure. After that he must not feel under any constraint.”
-Henri Matisse

"Dreaming of Summer" 50" x 50" work on canvas

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. I am back in my studio exploring a number of new directions. I am always interested in looking at other painters work but sometimes I think it is wise to stop looking at what others are doing and pull the focus back in - look, observe, study, and then forget it all and paint. It is not just other painters that inspire me; I can find inspiration just about anywhere. Finding a new source to explore is always a joy. I am having fun studying and incorporating my finds into my work right now - reminding myself, I “must not feel under any constraint”. Just paint, explore, experiment. It becomes too easy to fall into a pattern of working without pushing the limits. I am always looking for that balance of chaos and order - studying and working. Perhaps there will be only subtle changes or perhaps there will be something quite different in my work. It is way too early to tell where my new inspiration is taking me but this is why I paint.

I am looking forward to a feature show of my work at Gallery KH in Chicago opening in July 2010.

“Painting is like childbirth. It’s a precious gift that is labor intensive and
drains one’s energy. A natural high comes with creation.”
- Debbie DeBaun

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In Some Small Way…

by Deborah on January 17, 2010

“Some people choose not to donate their services because they believe that it somehow devalues them by “giving them away.” In truth, there is nothing that demonstrates the value of your skills more than putting
them to good use for a cause you believe in.”
-Scott Allen

"Piece Work #506" work on paper 10" x 10"

As I sit here in the comfort of my living room my heart aches for the people of Haiti. I have no real way of truly knowing their pain - the loss of everything when they had so little to begin with. The pictures of the devastation are just heartbreaking. To suffer the loss of untold loved ones and then to find yourself without food, water, power, sanitation, security, is something I have never experienced in my own life - I can only imagine the horror. To have your life so completely ripped apart by a devastating earthquake and then to summon all your strength just to survive, I can only imagine the pain. But it is in the imagining of that pain that I realize the blessings I do have. I believe, as Scott Allen says, “…there is nothing that demonstrates the value of your skills more than putting them to good use for a cause you believe in.” There are many ways to offer help - money, food, supplies, time, prayers; we all do what we can in our own way, be it small or large. I am donating this original unframed work on paper #506 from my “Piece Work Series” to the 140 Hours Haitian Relief Art Auction. This special auction will donate 100% of sales to the rescue agencies on the ground in Haiti including the agencies “Doctors Without Borders” and “International Medical Corps”. The auction will run for 48 hours beginning 1/29/10. I am honored to be able to contribute my work to this cause. I hope that in some small way we can all help ease the pain and suffering these people are living with as they pick up the pieces of their lives. Please join me in helping out this worthy cause by bidding on artwork or making a donation of your own.

“Artists are among the most generous of people. Perhaps inherent in the appreciation of creativity comes a deep, underlying love of humanity and our Earth.”
-Kelly Borsheim

Auction runs for 48 hours beginning at 9pm 1/29/2010.

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.”

-Camus

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The Rooms of Our Lives

by Deborah on December 31, 2009

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”
-Ellen Goodman

"Without a Doubt" 36" x 48" work on canvas

As we come to the end of another year it seems only natural to reflect, to walk through the rooms of our lives looking things over. I always like to look back, to acknowledge events of the waning year and make mental notes of it all. In our house there has never been a desire for the crazy partying that seems to accompany this night. Instead, a nice dinner, a bottle of wine or champagne, my husband’s favorite home made clam dip and a fire. I have to admit, I have not seen the midnight hour on New Year’s Eve in quite sometime and that is really fine with me. 2009 has had its ups and downs- this decade has sure had its ups and downs! Making resolutions never worked well for me, it always felt very superficial and forced. I much prefer “not looking for flaws, but for potential”. I don’t expect to wake up in 2010 a different person than I am in 2009 - I can only continue to do the best I can “to rise above the little things”, and trust the journey…

As I count my own blessings I want to thank you all for being a part of my world. May the new year bring us all Peace, Prosperity and Paintings!

“One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this:
To rise above the little things.”
- John Burroughs

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My Brushes are Resting…

by Deborah on December 10, 2009

“As artists, we must learn to be self nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them –
to restock the trout pond, so to speak.”
-Julia Cameron

My brushes are resting. It is the time of year I think we all naturally take inventory of many things. A time to reflect on the days gone by and look forward to the coming year. To count our blessings, to celebrate the season, to work through the successes and the failures we have experienced - a time to reflect on many things. I missed being in the studio working and I told myself I would get back in this week - thinking I could squeeze out a few solid days of painting - but the focus is just not there. I need to recognize that my muse, having a mind of her own, has gone on vacation. I thought about Robert Genn’s insightful quote, “Never forget that the nurturing and preservation of your own muse is job one. Lose it and you may be losing a great deal.” Self nourishment of the mind, the body, and all the creative resources is so important. It is an emotionally packed time of year and sometimes it is best to just step back and reflect. To enjoy family and friends, count my blessings, to make cookies, to spend time with all the important people in my life, to remember those who have gone on, to celebrate the season and in doing that, “restock the trout pond, so to speak”.

Wishing you Peace, Joy and Inspiration now and in the coming New Year!

“Often the Muse will not respond to direct and logical requests.
She must be lured in with the playful and gentle.”
-Jill Badonsky

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Those Tiny Successes

by Deborah on December 1, 2009

“Be grateful for the talent you have, the people you’ve met, and the experiences
from which you’ve benefited. ”
-Hap Hagood

Success! I am pleased to report that my first ever Open Studio weekend was a success. I met a number of folks who took time out of their busy holiday weekend to stop by and say hello. Many paintings found new homes. My studio got a badly needed, thorough cleaning, and is now ready for the winter work. That in and of itself is a success! I am grateful for the successes, the people I have met, and the experience from which I’ve benefited. I am grateful that the tent we set up in the yard for the Open Studio survived the 54 mph winds we were experiencing Friday night. I was sure at 2:30am, that in the morning we would find the tent in the woods! It wasn’t - it survived - major success! I am grateful for all my family who helped me set things up and take things down, run to the store, blow up balloons, bake cookies, and who continually stand by me.

“Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don’t collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don’t really mean anything.”
- Norman Lear

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I would like to share this wonderful expression of thanks by Jan Blencowe from her blog “The Poetic Landscape”.

An Artist’s Litany of Thanks
by Jan Blencowe

To the creative Spirit who hovered above the waters,
to the Architect of creation,
and to the One who pronounced it Good
Thank you for this mysterious gift of creativity,
imagination and skill you have graciously given me.

Thank you for the eyes to see beauty in uncommon and ordinary places.
For the joy of color, for the muse of inspiration,
for the thrill of co-creating,
for the satisfaction of line, shape and form
converging to express what is inexpressible with words
I give you thanks.

For layers and textures, collages, and carved stones
I thank you.

For brushes and paints, papers and pens
I thank you.

For doodles and drawings, sketches and scribbles
I thank you.

For every moment spent painting and pasting, cutting and carving
I thank you.

To all who share in the love of art I thank you.
For recognizing the power of an image,
For acknowledging that art is the language of a human soul
and for honoring and valuing what artists create
I thank you.

“There is no better opportunity to receive more than to be thankful for what you already have. Thanksgiving opens up the windows of opportunity
for ideas to flow your way.”
-Jim Rohn

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A Personality of its Own

by Deborah on November 14, 2009

“My studio has a personality of its own. It can be a monstrous clutter from one end to the other or, at times, the very model of simplicity.”
- Harley Brown

"Leaving the City" 48" x 40" work on canvas

I have been thinking of doing it for a long time now and I have finally decided this is it, I am going to have an Open Studio! YIKES! Ok, it is not really that big of a deal - or is it? I am very protective of my studio space, I think most creative people are. It is really a sacred area that has a personality of its own. However, there is nothing glamorous about where I work. I would like to tell you that I have a wonderful open space with white walls and such, endless work space and light - not so. I work in a space that was once an enclosed sleeping porch of a guest-house. It is often a “monstrous clutter from one end to the other”. It is tight, it is cramped, it is filled with everything I am sure I need to hold onto for the rest of my life! The house is on my parents property. It has worked out just fine for a number of years. I make full use of the space. I create, ship, store and manage all that I need to from this sacred little space. Leonardo da Vinci said, “An artist’s studio should be a small space because small rooms discipline the mind and large ones distract it.” Well, then, I guess I am in the right place! I count myself as being very fortunate to have the space I have to work.

After the end of the summer and the fall show season, I often think about having an open studio kind of event. Thinking about it is as far as it has ever gone - too much work, not enough space, why bother, you know all the excuses. Well, now I am actually going to do it. Yes I am. My space seems a bit tight these days and I have a lot of wonderful pieces that I would love to have find homes. There are new works as well as many hidden treasures. Works on paper, and works on canvas. I even have some posters and note cards that I did a few years back. The planning is underway and I’ve got work ahead of me - I am making my opportunity happen! I look forward to welcoming visitors! Really I do!

Colter Open Studio…
New Works & Hidden Treasures
Friday, November 27, 2009 11am - 4pm
Saturday, November 28, 2009 11am - 4pm

Please come for a visit if you are on Martha’s Vineyard for the Thanksgiving Holiday!

“Look for and make your opportunities happen; they are not going to come rushing up to your doorstep. But sometimes they’ll be looking you right in the face.”
-Harley Brown

Painting is available.

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I paint how it feels

by Deborah on November 6, 2009

“The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than
the subtlety of the senses and understanding.”
-Sir Francis Bacon

I am finding it a bit hard to focus with the time change and the shifting daylight patterns. There is such a chill in the air. All of nature is subtley shifting, whispering change, as the sky is filled with varying spectrums of color. I spoke last time about the beauty of the fall colors - how inspiring it is to see those colors in full force. In the little time that has passed, many of those same colors have faded, changed to brown, or vanished completely through the force of wind, rain and cold. Constant change is a daily occurrence. The “subtlety of nature” as Sir Francis Bacon mentions, “is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding”. I am drinking in the subtlety of nature in my own quiet ways - watching, breathing, looking, absorbing - and working on incorporating that understanding into my pieces as I paint an expression of how it feels, not how it looks.