"Pure Imagination" Sketch — Brent Estabrook

the Story…

I know i said i was never going to do another Stuffed Animal Pile painting again BUT… if there is anything i have learned so far in my art career, it is that when Creativity calls, i answer, even if it does not make sense at the time.

Through the process of creating “Pure Imagination”, i have come to realize that Change itself is a major theme in my career and the Paintings and Series i create :) While this piece is a Pile Painting, it is not anything like the Stuffed Animal Pile Paintings i have done before!…

In this 4-part Story exploring “Pure Imagination”, i am going to share with you…

Part 1: The Beginning!… Sketching IN THE MOMENT

Part 2: The Light Layer and the Birth of Color

Part 3: The Stories of the Plushies

Part 4: Debut!!!… the Finished Creation

My hope is that by showing you even more of what goes into a painting like this, you can have a deeper appreciation for this new process and all the ways “Pure Imagination” marks an incredible new beginning :)

“how can I get a Stuffed Animal Pile Painting!?”

This has to be the most frequently asked question i get from current/future Collectors and while i am very grateful for the growth i experienced as an artist and of course, the career growth that i saw from this Series, at some point i realized i could not do them anymore. I had to tell Collectors they were not possible to acquire since my Creativity just would not let me continue to create in this way.

I created all of the first Stuffed Animal Pile Paintings by using reference photos and it was that strict adherence to realism that was starting to feel limiting… there is just SO Much more to creativity explore beyond realism! :) Turns out, painting a different kind of Stuffed Animal Pile, straight from my imagination rather than a reference photo, was where my Creativity was taking me next…

Part 1: The Beginning!… Sketching IN THE MOMENT

Two things in particular led me to create a new kind of Pile painting. First, my exploration with the hyper-surreal cRaZy stuFFed aniMALs series and second, my commitment to practicing aspects of art where i am not as strong as i would like it to be. For example, 3 years ago i became very aware that drawing was not one of my strong points as an artist so it felt like a good next step for me to incorporate daily morning Sketches into my Creativity practice. The Sketches started as a quick, fun way to express my Creativity, but there was also a more serious commitment in there to grow as an artist.

Pretty soon, i began to notice that the Sketches that i was creating were becoming the inspiration for my Oil Paintings and i was being drawn more and more to a “creating in the moment” style of painting.

“Pure Imagination” started out as a single teddy bear in the middle, and using that “creating in the moment” style, i just kept creating other Plushies from there… each new Plushie and each new Sketch-line directly inspired the next, and the next, and the next… in a continuous flow of creative momentum.

Creating In The Moment!

This is an area with my art that has really become even more important lately. It involves letting Creativity guide me and listening to my intuition…

BUT, it also involves practice, specifically a dedication to that practice. The better you get at something, the more confident you are, the easier it is to trust your intuition… this is a practice i cherish in my Creativity as well as my personal life :)

a New Level of Possibility Unlocked!

This , for all intents and purposes, is the Very First of its kind… a Pile straight out of my head… no reference photo, just pure imagination :)

I have never approached a painting quite like this before… all the time i dedicated to improving my drawing skills paid off… now i can paint AND sketch with incredible dimensions of light and shadow. I can dream up something totally new and lay the sketch down first, and then paint the following layers (more on these layers in Part 2 and Part 4)...

This is truly a new level unlocked for me creatively and it embodies so much of some of the concepts that are guiding everything i create right now:)

Change

“Pure Imagination” has been instrumental in teaching me how important it is to embrace change, even or especially when what i was already creating was very successful, but no longer creatively rewarding...

I believe that we do not know what we do not know… there is Always a better version of ourselves and it always lies beyond change.

and as always… stay Inspired!!! :)

With “Pure Imagination”, i feel like i am entering a Whole new era of what i can create, and how i can inspire! The future possibilities are truly endless since there are an Infinite amount of creative things i can put my imagination and intention towards :)

As i continue to work on “Pure Imagination”, new Stories in the Series will be posted. If you would like to be notified when a new Story is published, you can sign up for my Friends’ List!