Inspiration and the 3 P’s in Narrative Art
Debra Keirce
The following article was written by Debra Keirce, a regular contributing author to The BoldBrush Letter.
Inspiration and the 3 P’s in Narrative Art
This subject is near and dear to my heart. Everything I paint is a narrative piece of art. Even the artworks that start out as studies take on a story as I work them into completion. I’ve realized that the narrative literally is my motivation.
What inspires you? Have you discovered your motivation for creating yet? I’m sharing, hoping your inspiration becomes clear, but feel free to borrow mine for awhile if they resonate with you.
I realized, when I tell stories that have the 3 P’s, I find myself in the flow or in the zone, where I lose sense of time. I don’t hit creative blocks when I create from this space. I never run out of material.
For me, every painting I do - commission, demo, still life, portrait or landscape - has a narrative that inspires me. So, what are the 3 P’s?
Palpable, Passionate, Personal
Palpable is where you feel the reality. As you create, you recall the experience. The closer you get to the finish, the more palpable your art becomes. You hear the ocean waves. You smell the salt air. You feel the hot sun on your forearms. You squint from the bright reflections off the water. Music, scents, and visual stimuli are not just background elements. They’re integral to infusing the art with genuine emotion. This manifests work that others can feel and relate to.
Passionate is when you channel the emotions you felt when you first conceived of your artwork. Even when I’m painting the mundane, I can always find a shadow or a color pattern hiding underneath the obvious that excites me. A simple red apple can spark passion in me when I begin to study the subtle greens and yellows and how it gets all rusty near the base of the stem. For you, it may be the symbolism or a childhood memory that excites.
Personal is the reason I usually only paint scenes I have been there to experience first hand. When I receive photos for a commission, I immediately relate them to personal stories. If I am painting somebody’s pet, I think of my own. If I’m painting a portrait, I think of who they remind me of in my life. I don’t ever paint political art or work that conveys a negative story, because if I did, they would not be a personal reflection. This is the quality that is missing, I believe, when people create what they think will sell, instead of what they are themselves relating to.
My art is not just a craft but a profound part of my personal journey and expression. Still, prioritizing the 3 P’s takes a bit of ingenuity at times. Sometimes on commissions, where I am unfamiliar with the subject, I will play music or listen to movies that inspire me and relate to what I am painting. I just finished a painting my collector wanted of Don Quixote and Sancho. I listened to the audio book while I worked on it.
Atmosphere is important to me while I paint. I burn my favorite incense or candle. I flip through magazines and books, or I view photos of vacations. I’m convinced that better work results from anything I can do to find that connection to what I’m working on.
This may sound a bit new age, but it’s what I’ve done for decades and it works for me.
I find that I can give better art talks, be a more entertaining instructor, get more out of workshops, and create better compositions when I am inspired and vested in the content. So it makes sense to me that marketing and sales is much more successful when I focus on the palpable, passionate, and personal storytelling.
This means I sometimes have to turn away shows, commissions, students, teaching opportunities and collaborations that don’t resonate. It’s not always easy to make these choices, but they protect my own creative voice. When we create from a place of deep connection, the results are often far more impactful and rewarding.
I don’t regret missing out on any of the opportunities I have said no to because they were not part of my story. I do regret painting the few works that didn’t align with my artistic integrity. Whenever their images pop up, I cringe.
Having read this, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I’m truly interested in what inspires and motivates other artists.
Debra Keirce
www.DebKArt.com
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I love this article and totally connect to it!
When I returned from an eight year hiatus I vowed I would only paint what moved me, what inspired me, I would be true to my vision and I have abided by that. Before my hiatus, I was so despondent because I was painting for what others wanted, there was no joy left and I threw my brushes down vowing to never paint again. But, we moved to a horse community and I was so inspired by my Ahkal-Teke that soon, I was drawing him, then others saw and encouraged me. Then one of my art friends from years ago said, color - I know you can’t resist color. The only paints I hadn’t given away was a professional set of Sennelier watercolors. I had never worked in watercolor but I tried it, and I loved it!! Now, I’m preparing for galleries and I’m painting my love, my inspiration and I’ll never look back. Be true to yourself and your vision