Creative Explorations are themed around a prompt that you can explore in your own art/creative practice over the coming weeks. Prompts will be sent out on the first Friday of every month. I hope this month’s prompt sparks your creativity!
We are surrounded by sounds — the chirping of birds in the morning, the hum of the grass mower, the growl of an engine starting, the tap-tap-tap of a construction site. And music, of course!
If we tune in and listen, how can the sounds around us translate into our art? The sounds of our environment, of nature, of a piece of music? How would we translate SOUND in our art journals? Let’s explore that this month!
Musical lines: Turn on some music and let your brush dance across the page in response to the beat. Try and use just a variety of lines to express what the sound feels like to you. To keep it simple, use one color and a few brushes in different sizes. Experiment with varying pressure, with a dry brush and a watery flow of paint. Whatever the music demands.
The color of sound: What color does a sound remind you of? Let this be a playful experiment. Just feel into the music, notice your emotions, and pair that with a color that feels right to you. No need to look up color symbolism — this is about your personal expression.
Repetition: For this experiment, choose a piece of music that has a repeating beat. What kind of marks would you make to capture that beat? This exercise can give you some interesting patterns and marks that you can incorporate into other pieces of art too!
Soundscapes: Somewhat like a landscape, but instead of translating what you see, you translate what you hear. Try this exercise with both music and with the sounds from around your home or studio, or even out in nature. Or combine the two!
Inspiration corner: Watch this artist as she listens and draws from sounds of nature; and this artist exploring a piece of music with different materials. For something slightly different, here’s a short 6-minute documentary exploring art, sound and climate futures.
I look forward to seeing your take on this prompt! You can email your finished pieces to me on shinjinim@substack.com or share them on Notes if you use the Substack app. If you share on Instagram, tag me @moderngypsy.in
Like this prompt? Share it with your friends and invite them into our virtual studio. If you’re on the Substack app, you can tap on the like button or restack to Notes to let me know you enjoyed this post.
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