Look For The Element Of Surprise

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Budh, Goblin Valley, Utah, 1996

I knew instantly that something new had happened when I saw Budh appear on screen. A clear outline had been introduced to the symmetries I was creating, which were previously unbounded, changing planes into volumes. While many of my images have qualities similar to environmental sculpture, this image and the series of images that it started create sculptural forms made from the environment. I didn’t know it then, but it was the beginning of a whole new series. I was working on another series when this happened. This could be a distraction or a breakthrough. So I was faced with an important decision to make, stay the course and finish what I had started, based on previous successes, or pursue a new direction, one I didn’t fully understand but might lead to new successes. Which would be the most rewarding course of action?
I walked away. I weighed my options. Though it might take some time, I could return to the other series later. This new work was unexpectedly fresh and exciting. I had a feeling that if I ignored this call I would not have been able to return to it later with the same intensity. I gave the decision some time. I slept on it. The excitement hadn’t faded. The mystery was still there. So I trusted my instincts. I moved forward and made new images. I continued to hold the question of how long to pursue this line of inquiry, until I had enough repeated successes to know it had legs. After six successes following similar lines, I knew I had made the right choice.
What I didn’t know then is that doing this new work would help me better understand the work I was developing; and much of the work I had already done; and the reason I work at all. Doing this work clarified ways of thinking and feeling that are essential to what I do and why I do it.
The landscape this image was drawn from had a presence. The symmetry more strongly suggested a presence – a living presence, perhaps one with a unique kind of consciousness. Many people see this image and feel as if the landscape is looking back at them – I do too. The working title for this piece Unseen Watcher lead to the final title Budh, the root of the word buddha, which means awake. Treating all of nature as something that is alive is my basic impulse and perhaps primary message of my life’s work. The sacred mindset this attitude brings with it increased awareness of, respect for, gratitude about, and wonder by being a part of it all.
It happens to me time and time again. I find that if I’m open to surprises and trust the process, I discover new things – properly guided, important new things. This is part of what it takes to move beyond conventional thinking and uncover new things about the world around us and as yet unclaimed inner resources.
One of the things I hear repeatedly from other artists is that the work that surprises them most is often the work that satisfies them most and the work that is most highly celebrated. The French writer Andre Gide remarked, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” The creative process is a process of discovery. You can’t have discovery without the element of surprise. As a defense mechanism we often resist surprise and try to reduce the number of times we are surprised; some surprises can be both unpleasant and unfortunate. Instead, we need to embrace surprise – and the changes it can bring. Surprises can be magical and transformative.
Questions
When is it best to pursue a new direction?
When is it best to stay with your current plan?
What can you do to evaluate the merits of both old and new directions to help you make the best choice?
Find out more about this image here.
View more related images here.
Read more The Stories Behind The Images here.

Lecture – Process / John Paul Caponigro Tonight 18:30 EST

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March 28, 2013, 6:30 pm
New Hampshire Institute Of Art
Manchester, NH
52 Concord Street Auditorium
“Continuing the Distinguished American Artists Discussing Art lecture series, John Paul Caponigro details the many aspects of his creative process — color, composition, drawing, iphoneography, writing and more. He shows how each discipline and different modes of operating with them contribute to the completion of finished works of art. The resulting synergy is stimulating, enriching, and enlivening. While he shows you that you already know how to write, draw, and photograph, he also shows you how these seemingly separate disciplines and creations combine dynamically to form a single creative process that results in a life’s work.”
Find out more here.
Preview the book Process here.
Watch the TED talk here.

Exhibit – Maine / Process & Place – 8/4-5

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In an inspiring dual exhibit Maine / Process & Place, John Paul Caponigro collects images drawn from over 23 years of living in Maine and offers a rare look into his unique creative process.
Place displays works made of the natural wonders of Maine; from Acadia National Park to Monhegan Island, from Rockland to Pemaquid Point, from Schoodic Peninsula to Popham Beach. You’re sure to recognize many of your favorite places, though you may never have seen them like this – through the eyes of this unique artist in his signature style.
Process displays many aspects of the artist’s creative process – drawing, painting, photography, Photoshop, iphoneography, writing and more. John Paul shows how each discipline contributes to the completion of his finished works of art. This exhibit reveals that the creative process is a never-ending journey of discovery that offers many insights along the way and that an artist’s creations are and come out of far more than the
activities in their primary medium. How artist’s get there is just as important as where they arrive.
Process, a new catalog that accompanies the exhibit, shows many more works than can be displayed and shares the personal insights of the artist. Preview it online at johnpaulcaponigro.com.
The exhibit John Paul Caponigro’s Maine / Process & Place is a rare opportunity to view this internationally acclaimed artist’s work presented in his own private studio / gallery.
The exhibit is open to the public for one weekend only – August 4th and 5th from 10 am to 5 pm with artist’s talks at 2 pm.
Come enjoy prints, books, web galleries, performances and conversations with the artist during this very special event.
For more information including directions, previews, reviews, statements, audio, video, and press kit visit www.johnpaulcaponigro.com or email info@johnpaulcaponigro.com.

New Book – Process

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My new book Process details the many aspects of my creative process.
I hope you’ll find it to be useful as well as interesting.
“An artist’s creations come out of far more than the activities in their primary medium. How artist’s get there is, perhaps, just as important as where they arrive. This is the creative process rather than the creative product. That’s what this book is about.
John Paul Caponigro details many aspects of his creative process – color, composition, drawing, iphoneography, writing and more. He shows how each discipline and different modes of operating with them contribute to the completion of finished works of art. The resulting synergy is stimulating, enriching, and enlivening. Instead of a technical book that shows you how to write, draw, and photograph, this books shows you how seemingly separate disciplines and creations combine dynamically to form a single creative process that results in a life’s work.
Above all, this book reveals that the creative process is a process of exploration, a journey of discovery that offers many insights along the way and never ends. You’ll be inspired to try these activities yourself, practicing them in your own ways for your own purposes, as you progress on your own creative journey.”
Preview Process here.
Preview all of my books here.

Why Drawing Is So Important To Me

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I love to draw. I began drawing before I could speak. I’ve never stopped. It took me decades to learn to draw the way I wanted to. I spend less time drawing than I used to, now I rarely draw to produce finished results, but hardly a day goes by when I don’t draw, to record or refine ideas.

Drawing is a way to understanding. There’s a difference between knowing things mechanically (with a camera) in 1/125th of a second and knowing it manually (with a pencil, pen, or brush) over the space of hours or even days. Both ways can inform one another.

People often ask me, “Do you draw before, during, or after I photograph?” I respond, “Yes.” There are different benefits to drawing at every stage in the process of creation.

I sometimes draw before arriving at a location to structure my visual explorations. I sometimes draw while on-site, to record ideas that cannot be photographed. I sometimes draw after visiting a location, from unfinished photographs made there, to identify the many ways they can be combined with other photographs. I sometimes draw on finished photographs to identify patterns of thinking and ways to develop them further.

There are many reasons to draw and many ways of drawing.

I take the definition of photo-graph literally – light-drawing. For me, photography is one more way to draw.