Not an "artist"

I was talking to a fellow painter today. Someone I had not met before and we were talking about other folks working in a community space. When she pointed out one woman's area she said "Yeah, she's a potter...she's not an artist", it took me a little by surprise. It's funny how whatever we do...WE...the royal we...is the 'right' thing, and others who are outside of our box are not real, not professional, not serious.

What is an artist? Of course, if you ask anyone (artists included, I would hope) an artist is anyone who creates. Be it a painting, a recipe, a knitting pattern, a photograph, or maybe even graffiti on a wall. But, if you are one of those things, a photographer, a painter...whatever, it's easy to think of what YOU do as ART and what they do as...I dunno...something else.

I try to tell my students all of the time that if you create something...whatever it is, it's yours (and often copyright laws would back me up) so, copying a photo out of magazine, for example, is a no no. That is another ARTIST's work.

Maybe it's the snob appeal factor of whatever thing you do. If you are a rock star, is a person who sings in the church choir a 'musician'?

Of course, when you call attention to it, anyone would say 'of course that's true' and wax philosophical about it, but it's what we say in our everyday vernacular that shows a bit of how we think.

I dont think any less...or really any thing about the lady who said it, it just got me thinking about how what WE do is the real thing and what others do is something else.

How many painters get ruffled when a juried 2-D contest allows photography. THAT's DIFFERENT!! is it? Especially now, when so much of photography involves way more than pointing the camera and knowing a little about the mechanics of the camera. It's composing, often editing, color correcting, light balancing. How different is it?

When someone says "Im an artist" we usually think painter. Right? Or...maybe...that's just me because, I'M a painter...therefore what I do...must be the real thing.

Rock on all you artists!

Back in the saddle

Breaking out of the rut isnt easy. Sometimes you just have to sit and make yourself do something. I've had a lot of ideas of things I wanted to paint lately, but as I said, I'm just not in the mood. So, I decided, after a pep talk with my gal pals, to just get to work, so I did. I don't normally paint in this style, so loose and ala prima, but...today I did. This painting is 20x20 and I've more or less gotten to a stopping point in two sittings. It's kind of fun, working so loose. I don't think I'll change styles (again) any time soon, but it was a nice one to get back on the horse with.

a very rough sketch just to block in the composition.

chunking in big blocks of color. working to establish shadows.

Done-ish. I'm sure that I'll futz around and probably over work it, but I've gotten to a point at least this evening where I'm satisfied with this for what it is.

I guess this is my -following my own advice and getting off my derriere and putting paint to canvas. Other than teaching, I have a lot of free time tomorrow. My goal is to get another at least started if not finished. Here's hopin.

The Dreaded RUT

If you are a creative person of any sort, I'm sure you have had days where you could do no wrong, where the least effort produced the best recipe, the greatest knitting, or the most glorious masterpiece oil painting...ever. But...if you are a creative person, I'm sure you have also had days where you start out maybe gung-ho, head up to the studio, clap your hands together in a 'let's do 'dis' kind of way and then..."oooh, let me check my email, download a picture, look at funny pictures of cats, vacuum, play with the dog, open the windows, shut the windows, straighten a picture that wasnt crooked to start with... and get...nothing....done.

Welcome to my day. Actually, welcome to my last few weeks. The dreaded rut.

Some ruts are blamable (is that a word? blame-able?) on external sources, you're sick, scheduling conflict, lack of materials, but other times...like the last few weeks, I just don't feel like it. Call it depression, call it exhaustion, call it PMS, call it...Wednesday. whatever.

I sketch, I plan. I have solid gold plated-buy it now on Ebay-intentions, and then...pbffft.

Now this is where I punch you on the arm and say 'buck up little camper...here's whatcha do". but, no. I got nothin'. I tend, when in this mood, to either take a nap, or go get a bagel at Panera.

There are great inspirational catalysts to be sure. flip through an art book. lurk around artist forums and blogs, flip through any book by what's his face that wrote Everyday Matters. Look through and organize your references. Take your camera and wander around and snap some ref photos.

Today, I even know the painting I want to work on. I've sketched it out. I like the concept. But am I painting? No...I'm sitting here. Writing.

I think that any creative outlet will help. If you're in knitting rut, go bake something. If you are a painter, go write a poem. If you write music, go sketch people at a coffee shop. Change it up. Like working out different muscles in the gym. Grab a coloring book and a cup of tea.

So, what am I going to go do?

A bagel sounds pretty good. and that picture is still crooked.

work in progress

In the process of getting off my proverbial derriere, I have realized the need for photographing my work, not only before it sells-duh...but also some in progress. That being said, here is one that I'm working on.

My grandmother did a painting that I love that hangs over my mantle. She had a wonderful primitive style, ala Queena Stovall. I've been wanting to do this painting in my own style and have finally gotten around to it. Here is the beginning of the painting. I am doing this in the 7 step realism process so it'll go through many manifestations. Here is the first...enjoy.

Sketchbook

I think artists often forget about the power of the sketchbook. I know that I tend to only use my sketchbook for recording assignments and working on thumbnails and sketches for work that I've already been commissioned for. I forget to just draw or use it as a sounding board for ideas. I'm long past the trepidation that someone will see my sketchbook and, lord forbid, see that not every time that I set pen to paper to I come up with a masterpiece. But I forget to just doodle.

I've expounded before on folks to turn 'journaling' into their art form. They spend sooo much time making these 'spontaneous' books that are anything but. Pages of flotsam and ephemera that look just like everyone else's. I guess it has it's place but not, in my opinion, at the expense of creating finished works.

That being said, I think that we as artists should keep our sketchbooks handier. sketch our breakfast, our feet, the dog...whatever is in front of you. If you are a world class runner, you don't just wait on the couch between races, you practice, work out, run sprints. I would like my sketchbook to be more that way. I think if I make sure that I can draw ANYTHING in front of my, when the time comes to get paid for drawing what's in front of me there wont be anything intimidating about the process.

I'm not much into resolutions...but if I could manage to change a habit or get something done from this point on it would be to turn the trifecta of keys, wallet, and phone, into the...um...quadfecta(?) that would include my sketchbook everywhere I go. Maybe I'll even post a few pages and doodles. And then again...

Out of the Zone

A friend of mine asked me to show some of my work that is not my 'usual' work. I have oodles of paintings around the studio and around the house that are not a part of the collection of work that I am trying to build up. for the most part, no one ever sees them. Here are two of those works.

This one ^ is pretty large. It's 36x48 on a pretty thick gallery wrapped stretcher. It's lively and fun and was painted from a tiny scrap of a black and white photo.

This one ^ is 30x36 and was in response to an urge to build up paint. I tend to paint very flat, no brushstrokes. Even though this looks like piled on, it's a relatively flat painting. Certainly more impasto than I'm known for, but in the grand scheme of things, still fairly smooth which I think kind of adds to the movement.

Anyhoo...These are two of the kinds of things I do in response to assignments, challenges, or just a daily whim. enjoy.

Busy season

They say 'when it rains, it pours'. It would seem that everyone wants to have a show at the same time. This happened in early Spring also. Everyone wanted '5-10' works for this show or that. Which is fine...unless 4 or 5 people want 5-10 works. I just dont have that kind of inventory. I'm happy to say, that , yes, while I should paint more and have a larger inventory, I've been selling enough that I keep less on hand than I'd like.

This week, we have an opening at the Spruill Gallery here in Atlanta. It's a show that celebrates 35 years of the educational and gallery portions of the Spruill Center for the Arts. This show in particular showcases instructor works. I have 2 paintings in the show. I've posted them here before. The two in the show are the 'Four eggs and a funeral" and the 'still life with Sunflower" painting. I really like them both, but I'd be a happy camper if they'd sell.

Here are two other recent works. Both are oil. The painting with the Chinese lanterns is 18x 24 and the picture with the peony is 24x 24. Come to think of it, I may have already posted this one, but...what the heck. Hope you enjoy them.