Ahrabella Heabe Lewis Art 2 Inspire

Reflections and renewed passions

2012-01-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

At the start of the New Year, I always find myself looking back atthe old year in terms of creative output and inspiration. In 2011, the use ofthe circle motif was developed and expanded. Not only did I paintcircles exclusively but by incorporating a selection of found objects on to the canvases extra depth, contrastand texture and even elements of surprise were added to thepictorial plane. The collage of objects varied in size from tiny buttonsthough to wheel hubs, and the process of selection of this material proved tobe an ongoing absorbing activity. Everywhere I go, there is 'treasure' to befound which is often objects that havebeen discarded but catch my eye because of their colour, shape or pattern. Thecollection of collage items continues to grow and is always being addedto.

'Days of Gold' Acrylic and mixed media.30cm diameter

©Ahrabella Heabe Lewis 2011

Another theme of 2011 was the mass ofinspiration I got from travel from the rich earth colours of Morocco to the varied landscapes and cities of atour of the United Statesthat began in Chicagothrough to the South West. The vast scale of America with it's expanse ofsky, earth , mountains and distance made a strong visual impression andin time this sense of open space will begin to filter through intomy paintings.

Whiletraveling I took numerous photographs, and increasingly found that photographybegan to be an exciting and rewarding creative activity.

Chicago skyscrapers reflected

Bryce canyon National Park

Lake Tenaya Yosemite National Park

Las Vegas by night

The Golden GateBridge San Francisco

More photographs from the American tour can befound in my Flickr account USA 2011 - Cities and in my Facebookart page

American Inspirations

This renewed interest in photography has continued into thestart of this year. Over the last few weeks I have being experimenting using onlymanual settings and taking the time to really geta thorough understanding of the mechanics of the camera. Thishas proved to be a satisfying and frustrating process in equal measure butis ultimately rewarding. I have enjoyed learning or to be precise relearning how to operate the camera, and find that now I am looking ateveryday objects, and the world in general with close attention. In fact reallyobserving which can almost become a meditative process.Taking time to operate the camera changes the emphasis of the whole process of composition. It is a slower more considered approach,which is more conscious. Gradually confidence and ability is being gained.

Hand made Christmas cards

Still life of three bottles and below wine glasses

Ideas of combining photography with an enduring passion for painting are beginning to emerge and I feel excited by this creative exploration!
2012 promises to be an interesting and productively creative year as I continue to develop skills while experimenting further with both my passions and painting.

http://www.ahrabellaheabelewis.co.uk

Westward Bound

2011-10-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

"One's destination is never a place, butrather a new way of looking at things." (HenryMiller)

Excited as this weekend I am setting off to on holiday to the United States. Flying into Chicago for a few days and then by a combination of train and bus travelling around before ending the trip in San Francisco. Los Angles, The Grand Canyon and Las Vegas are some of the other places en route .
Love the prospect of seeing such a variety of sights and have already packed my camera and sketchbook to gather inspiration on my travels !

Thoughts and processes video inerview

2011-09-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

I recently held an exhibition as part of the Painswick Festival in August and in this video interview I discuss the ideas and processes of the paintings on display - enjoy the virtual tour!

You Tube Channel:Art2InspireAHL

Website:www.ahrabellaheabelewis.co.uk

Jardin Majorelle Marrakesh an oasis of inspiration

2011-07-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers, that the mind can never break off from the journey." Pat Conroy

A recent trip to Morocco was bountiful in inspiration from the rich colours, decorated fountains and tiles, elegant architecture , busy streets to the varied landscape that ranged from the Atlantic coast though olive groves to the dry expanse of Sahara desert.

I delighted in all the varied sights, the colours , textures and contrast of Morocco but found the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh to be particularly inspirational

Jardin Majorelle is an oasis of calm with lush foliage and vivid colour in the center of Marrakech .

Created in 1924 by Jacques Majorelle a French painter and opened to the public in 1947.The garden has the feel of being a living painting with a distinctive artistic flair in the layout and combination of the traditional and modern.

After Jacques Majorelle's death in 1962 the garden has been funded by the Foundation Pierre Berge and the late Yves Saint Laurent . A memorial to Yves Saint Laurent is found within the grounds of the garden.

The garden is not only a beautiful and meditative space but also very inspirational to my own creativity .It appealed at every level to my painter's eye.Every niche and pathway offers a sensory delight with the bright acid colored pots , deep blue low walls and abundant greenery of the plants.

Here are a selection of photographs from this exquisite garden.'

More photographs of the Jardin Ma jorelle can be seen on my Flickr page ‘Art is life playing to other rhythms’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artistarabella/sets/72157627231644252/

A Moroccan Journey

2011-07-29T04:29:00.000-07:00

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living" Miriam Beard

Travelling is one of my biggest pleasures in life as it widens experience and brings fresh new sources of inspiration for my paintings. I love going to places that have a lot of variety, colour and contrast . Observing the different cultures and looking at the world from a different perspective and being out of the normal routines of daily life. As well as allowing for flexilbility and unexpected changes of plan. I even enjoy all that is part of setting off to a new destination the preparation , packing and that feeling of eager anticipation at the airport.

A recent mother daughter trip to Morocco brought a wealth of inspiration and was full of sensory delights with rich earth colours , decorated tiles,elegant architecture and bustling street life. We traveled over 1800km (1200 miles ) and passed through a landscape that varied from the Atlantic coast,olive and lemon groves forests, ancient walled cities such as Fes to the dry heat of the Sahara desert.

Being surrounded by so much warmth, colour and new sensory experiences did much to lift my soul and reignite my creativity which has lessened over the last few months due to pressures of my elderly mother's illness. There were inspirational delights everywhere from the beautifully presented plates of food , street markets with bowls of fruit and spices piled up into pyramids , women wearing brightly colored veils and kaftans , intricate metalwork on doors and decorated tiled fountains. I sketched , kept a journal of all the myriad of impressions, wrote haiku type poems and took numerous photographs to try to capture all that was of interest. These notes and visual material provides a resource of ideas that will begin to form the basis of ideas that shall percolate into my work.

Everywhere I go I see circles that inspire my circular themed paintings and Morocco had an abundance of this Universal symbol .There were circles in the buildings, pavements , pottery , fountains, windows and in particular the decorative tiled table tops which combined clear balanced design with jewel like colours.

Energized with my creativity flowing again I am now looking forward to see what emerges from all this Moroccan inspiration in the months to come...The echo of the red of Marrakech buildings; a curve of an arch, the pattern of a mosaic, the juxtaposition of old and new the expanse of the desert will be soon be interpreted and abstracted into new paintings

"To paint... to travel... to combine the two... is to celebrate life." Jack R. Brouwer

There are more photographs from this memorable and inspiring trip to Morocco on my Flickr page 'Art is life Playing to other Rhythms'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artistarabella/collections/72157627232738744/

Mother daughter adventure to Morocco

2011-07-01T03:37:00.001-07:00

Excited as I make the final preparations to go on a ten day mother daughter trip to Morocco ready to be inspired by the rich colours and bask in warm sunshine .Bringing both my camera and sketchbook to happily observe all the wonderful sights.
"Travel creates paintings that live on forever in our memories."
~ Michele Cooper

Getting my art out there!

2011-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am putting my art out there in the world by participating in the Art Takes London online competition and am asking for your support. Please Vote by clicking this link fro my profile then share the link.

Thank you all

Art Takes London Online Art Competition

Guided tour of Colour Worlds Exhibition Match 2011

2011-05-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here in this short video I take you round my recent exhibition and talk about the paintings on display.

Enjoy your personal tour!

Colour Worlds The Landsdown Gallery March 2011

Wonderful source of inspiration which lifts the soul into the heavens...

2011-03-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

While busy with all the preparations for my forthcoming exhibition 'Colour Worlds' due to open on the 25th of March my dear friend and sister artist Claudia Dose sent me this video link. This video is richly inspirational and find myself joyously swimming in the infinity of space ...watch and be transported into the magic of the Universe

The Universe - Nebulas

A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas, helium gas
and other ionized gases. Originally nebula was a general name for any
extended astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
Nebulae often form star-forming regions. Formation: many nebulae or
stars form from the

'Colour Worlds ' Exhibition The Landsdown Gallery Stroud 25- 30 March 2011

2011-03-07T07:08:00.001-08:00

"There is no end to anything round" --- Rumi

'Colour Worlds' is my first solo exhibition in two years and displays a selection of recent paintings which all depict the circle . I have being painting this motif exclusively over the last eighteen months and find this Universal symbol endlessly inspiring

The circular forms cover a wide range of themes from the vast aesthetic pleasure of the universe, to dazzling everyday effects such as sunlight playing on water. Combining rich, jewel-like colours with a variety of diverse media including found objects such as bottle tops, wheel hubs and buttons-my aim with these paintings is to inspire, uplift and delight the viewer

http://ahrabellaheabelewis.co.uk/News.html

2010-09-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

To title or not to title?

"Usually I am on a work for a long stretch, until a moment arrives when the air of the arbitrary vanishes, and the paint falls into positions that feel destined” Philip Guston

'Nocturne'
30cm diameter on 35 x 46cm rectangle
2010

As I began to put the finishing touches on a recent painting I thought about the whole process of giving a piece of work a title . Because my work is abstract, a title is necessary to give it some identification to help lead the viewer into the painting

A title defines a work and finding the right title for a painting is an equal part of the whole creation of every piece of work. Ideas for titles of each piece can come from memory, poetry, books or random associations of ideas. It can sometimes take a long time to find the right wording to title a painting though equally, a title does on occasion emerge very quickly and then there is a knowing certainty about the outcome of the work. Once a title has been found the work gains, clarity and direction .It becomes a something rather than an undetermined exploration of paint.

"You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea." Pablo Picasso

Yet often a title remains elusive. It takes a while to emerge and ‘match’ the original concept of a painting. The work evolves and I am become totally absorbed in the creative process. My attention is held by the play of colours, form and texture. I intuitively know at an unconscious what I am trying to create but as the work comes into being this can change so that I often start painting one thing then by the time the painting is finished have a completely different image to what was in my mind initially.

This can be illustrated by ‘Nocturne’ a circular painting that originally was thought of as something on the lines of ‘Evening meditation’ to pair with another painting that I had already named ‘Morning Meditation’. As I worked with the silver and deep indigo canvas, I took various photographs of it at different stages and these were filed as ‘Blue textured’ ‘Moonlight Inspiration’, and ‘Night dream’. These descriptions were for personal reference and actually did not gel as a name for the painting. ‘Nocturne’ only emerged as the final title a couple of weeks after the painting was finished. It felt right and gave the painting the identity which linked with the ideas that went into its formation

'Blue and silver'(Nocturne) in progress

'Moonlight Inspiration'(Nocturne) in progress

Often I paint a series of paintings with a group title. Individual painting therefore have a predetermined title before they are begun. The Four Seasons Windows are a good example of this. This group of paintings was painted a few years ago and conceived as a whole. Then I worked on each canvas moving through the different seasons consecutively starting with autumn through to summer. I find when a series is painted in this clear way there is a subtle but marked difference how I approach the work, It has been defined from the outset and then painted to meet its existing title. The creation of the work is as engrossing as ever but there is less serendipity or unexpected developments as the painting unfolds.

'Four Seasons Windows' Series on display

Titling is both part of the process of each painting and gives it completion. Once the title has been found and settled on the work, it claims ownership and identity.

Then it is time to begin another piece and start the whole dance of what it shall be all over again! Because as A.N. Whitehead says

"Ideas won't keep, something must be done about them.

www.arabellalewis.co.uk

Call that Art! Overcoming fear and criticism.

2009-10-19T02:20:00.000-07:00

Call that Art! Overcoming fear and criticism.

“Move your left corner down a bit, yes that’s better. Now step back and see how it looks,” advised my friend Sarah.

As I moved away from the wall to look at the painting, a man came into the gallery.

“Call that art it’s a load of **** my ****** three year old could do better than that you stupid cow” he shouted.

“Get out! We are not open yet go away! ” Sarah retorted loudly.

I stood watching him walk out cussing and hurling more abuse as he left. I was stunned and my eyes filled with tears. This was my first exhibition and it had taken such a leap of faith to show my work in public .For nine months I had being working towards this moment selecting the paintings and getting the event organised; planning, marketing, arranging help with transport, and all the other the necessary details to ensure the exhibition went smoothly.

His words stung and all my insecurities came to the surface. I felt paralyzed with fear and self-doubt. This was far too exposing to cope with. My work though vibrant and colourful is also very subjective, and now the thought of exhibiting was like baring my soul. The first thought was to escape and retreat to the safe seclusion of painting in my own environment. To shut myself away so there was no need to engage with the world.

Sarah put her arm around me “It’s ok, he just an idiot, come on let’s get these paintings hung “

I looked at the painting Mandala one of my personal favourites. I remembered while I worked on it how it became a visual prayer .The elation I had felt when combining the dynamic reds, yellows and blues juxtaposing and coming together as a whole. While painting a sense of flowing connection to the Divine had emerged the painting was infused with uplifting energy that radiated out from the surface.
I breathed deeply and listened internally for guidance. I knew then that all was well.

We finished hanging the rest of the paintings and over the next week, the exhibition proved to be both enjoyable and successful. Visitors were openly enthusiastic and appreciative of the work. Paintings sold and clients commissioned pieces.

I learnt how to distance myself from criticism and not take it personally. Equally, I began to accept praise without resorting to apology or negating peoples’ gifts.

Mandala was in the centre of the exhibition and caught people’s attention as they entered the room. One woman came every day during her lunch hour for the entire week and stood in front this painting for about ten minutes. “I have been feeling depressed recently but coming to look at this painting has made me feel more positive and grateful for all that is good in my life,” she said on the last day of the exhibition.

Again, tears came but this time those of joy…

“The creative process is a cocktail of instinct, skill, culture and a highly creative feverishness. It is not like a drug; it is a particular state when everything happens very quickly,a mixture of consciousness and unconsciousness, of fear and pleasure” Francis Bacon

This first exhibition was a mountain of challenge. It brought opportunity as well as valuable lessons on how to overcome the crippling effects of fear-to face fear and criticism head on by staying true to one’s vision and move forward step by step.

Art is one of the sources through which the soul expresses itself and inspires others...
Meher Baba
http://www.arabellalewis.co.uk/