How does a work of art get created?

In life, everything begins with an idea. The same is true with art.  Everything begins with the power of the human "imagination".  To manifest my ideas from the realm of the imagination into the realm of "reality" it requires me to have a "plan".  As an art director and artist, that's why I believe in always putting my ideas on paper!  Once I have put my ideas on paper, I have officially manifested my idea into the realm of "reality". 

 

The art of "manifestation" is a beautiful and "sacred" process...  That's why I love using my imagination to create "sketches".  Once I create a sketch, the sketch then paves the road (as a plan) for a work of art to be created.  As you can see above, first I created a rough sketch of a stallion on paper as my guide. Then it lead the way for the final oil painting. 

 

The final result is a recent painting inspired my time in Italy viewing the great works of "renaissance" masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and others in the Uffizi Museum in Firenze...  Yet I did the final work in my own expressionist style. Creating art is a magical experience of bringing art from the inspirational realm of the imagination into the reality of the world!  The process of manifesting a work of art into the realm of reality is the greatest beauty I can experience as an artist. The only way I can describe it is like be aligned with the divine.  But having a plan makes sure I have my feet planted firmly on the ground...   These new works were influenced from my recent trips to Italy.