Sometimes painting, drawing, sketching, being creative can be such a stress relief (more on this later in another post I am currently writing), other times it can actually be somewhat stressful. I've been doing these oil studies lately. Something very different than what I've done before. Usually when painting with oils I'll use very little to no medium and just go at it with the paint itself. For these studies I've been using very little paint and mostly just medium and so it ends up being layers of oil wash. Layer after layer I end up rendering these portraits.
So I've done a few and they are fun to do. The people that I've been doing the portraits of are usually someone that posts a selfie on Instagram, and something about the pic just yells at me that it needs to be painted. Well a close friend is graduating and I figured why not make one of her as a graduation present! The previous ones I've made have been fairly easy to do, they've been small paintings (8 x 10), monochromatic and have helped me get my mind off of other stuff. I usually do them while on phone conversations or while watching Hulu, it takes several days to let medium dry in-between sessions but total overall time on painting is about 3-5 hours each.
The current one I'm working on has been a bit a tad different. I'm doing a much larger size and like I stated before this one is going to be a present. Where as the others have been for fun this one has a lot more tension involved. The main reason is because its for someone. The others I had no audience for, they were studies for me to do then toss them in the closet with all the other random art I've done. This one will have an audience. Even if its just my friend, which I know it wont just be her, it'll be others.
I don't know how others artists feel but knowing that your work will be viewed puts more pressure on it and in a way it blocks creativity. It happened to one of my artistic heroes Jean-Michel Basquiat, its happened to others, it happens to me. I think non creative types often view the arts as something easy to do. Like we can just pull out paper or a canvas and just sling some ink or paint and it will look good. For some that IS the case. I, and many other artists, get the "hey can you do this for free", or ask for some art with a vague description and expect a da Vinci and its not a reality. It just doesn't work that way.
We put our all into each piece we create and then someone hangs up the representation of our skill and talent, of the labour that we poured into the piece. Then people see it and some love it and some hate it but either way our skills get judged. The extent of what we can do gets judged. Sometimes art isn't as therapeutic as people think while creating it.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Mellifa...wha?!
Someone I know just recently started blogging. I hope she doesn't mind the shout out but its a cool blog so far. She only has a few entries and its great. She has a good writing style that makes it enjoyable to keep reading.
The one thing that really reached out though, the thing that hit me and made her blog stand out a bit more so than others was at the end of the first entry I read she had a list titled, "Today, I am grateful for...", and she had a few things she was grateful for. It wasn't necessarily what was on the list that struck me but the fact that she took her time out to make a list like this, and she added it to the end of every entry!
It's so common to see people rant and bitch and complain about how horrible their day was or or how hard life is but its rare to see someone stop and list things that they are grateful for. I really appreciated this and it made me stop and before I finished her list I actually said a small little prayer of everything I was thankful for.
How much better would the world be if everyone took 30 seconds out of their day to do this? Just a pause on a busy day and saying, "I'm thankful for the sun shining on my skin and making me feel warm", or something of the sort. I bet that would help a little with anxiety, or stress, or whatever...thing, someone is dealing with.
I wont copy her style and do the same to my blog but I do want to start being a little more thankful. Just at the end of the day maybe saying one thing to myself that I'm thankful for that the day has brought. It wouldn't hurt and I can see nothing but the benefit of peace, tranquility, and happiness come from it.
I know in one of the 1st posts that I said I'd close comments but they're open and I'm interested, What are YOU thankful for?
To check out her blog please visit:
http://amellifluouslife.wordpress.com
The one thing that really reached out though, the thing that hit me and made her blog stand out a bit more so than others was at the end of the first entry I read she had a list titled, "Today, I am grateful for...", and she had a few things she was grateful for. It wasn't necessarily what was on the list that struck me but the fact that she took her time out to make a list like this, and she added it to the end of every entry!
It's so common to see people rant and bitch and complain about how horrible their day was or or how hard life is but its rare to see someone stop and list things that they are grateful for. I really appreciated this and it made me stop and before I finished her list I actually said a small little prayer of everything I was thankful for.
How much better would the world be if everyone took 30 seconds out of their day to do this? Just a pause on a busy day and saying, "I'm thankful for the sun shining on my skin and making me feel warm", or something of the sort. I bet that would help a little with anxiety, or stress, or whatever...thing, someone is dealing with.
I wont copy her style and do the same to my blog but I do want to start being a little more thankful. Just at the end of the day maybe saying one thing to myself that I'm thankful for that the day has brought. It wouldn't hurt and I can see nothing but the benefit of peace, tranquility, and happiness come from it.
I know in one of the 1st posts that I said I'd close comments but they're open and I'm interested, What are YOU thankful for?
To check out her blog please visit:
http://amellifluouslife.wordpress.com
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Envy
A week ago a friend sent me an article that within a few sentences I had some strong feelings about. The article basically said that we ( social media users ) often look at Facebook or Instagram and see how wonderful other peoples lives are wonderful but how ours sucks in comparison. They reason we see how wondrous others' lives are is because the only talk about the great things going on in their life and not the bad.
It says that we don't check social sites when we are at our peak times and we only check when we are bored or doing some mundane thing or waiting for something. Yes that's true, that's when things are checked the most but people post even in peak times. How else would you see celebratory moments whether the post is slightly delayed of the moment or not?
I agree when the article says that life looks prettier on the internet. When we blog we hide behind a screen and vomit out feelings knowing that we wont get to see the immediate reaction to whoever reads, when we Facebook we talk about silly nonsensical things but when someone writes a post about something that actually matters we keep scrolling down ( or up! ) our feed to get to the next post about who got voted off whatever show. Then my current fav, Instragram, as an artist I follow a lot of friends but mostly artists. I see a lot of art that I either hate, like, or that inspire me. Then I get to the non artist and there are the landscapes and the food pics which I'm ok with but so help me I will chuck my phone across the room if I see another Insta pic of close ups of nails or a shot taken of whatever shoes your wearing while your standing up.
Then the article loses me. It says social media is "dangerous" because it threatens "community". That we have to have physical aural discussions, and be close in proximity, and break bread with each other in real life to have community. That its not possible with social networking.
On Twitter I've met several artists, illustrators, animators, and cartoonists that I have gotten to know and that we interact on a semi regular basis and that have given me advice and counsel on my own artistic path. This past Christmas I participated in an Art Exchange with a bunch of artists. How is that not forming "community"?
The article then urges other people to stop connecting using apps and start connecting through other personal means like emails or texts. So what happens when the person you text doesn't answer back? What if you really want to hear from a person and you never get that text ,or email, or call? How is that really any better? To me that would bring the same amount of negative feelings that I'd get by seeing posts of someone having the time of their life while I wasn't.
The article was an interesting read, I just think that people should take social media so seriously. It's meant to be a time waster why cant we just leave it at that?
It says that we don't check social sites when we are at our peak times and we only check when we are bored or doing some mundane thing or waiting for something. Yes that's true, that's when things are checked the most but people post even in peak times. How else would you see celebratory moments whether the post is slightly delayed of the moment or not?
I agree when the article says that life looks prettier on the internet. When we blog we hide behind a screen and vomit out feelings knowing that we wont get to see the immediate reaction to whoever reads, when we Facebook we talk about silly nonsensical things but when someone writes a post about something that actually matters we keep scrolling down ( or up! ) our feed to get to the next post about who got voted off whatever show. Then my current fav, Instragram, as an artist I follow a lot of friends but mostly artists. I see a lot of art that I either hate, like, or that inspire me. Then I get to the non artist and there are the landscapes and the food pics which I'm ok with but so help me I will chuck my phone across the room if I see another Insta pic of close ups of nails or a shot taken of whatever shoes your wearing while your standing up.
Then the article loses me. It says social media is "dangerous" because it threatens "community". That we have to have physical aural discussions, and be close in proximity, and break bread with each other in real life to have community. That its not possible with social networking.
On Twitter I've met several artists, illustrators, animators, and cartoonists that I have gotten to know and that we interact on a semi regular basis and that have given me advice and counsel on my own artistic path. This past Christmas I participated in an Art Exchange with a bunch of artists. How is that not forming "community"?
The article then urges other people to stop connecting using apps and start connecting through other personal means like emails or texts. So what happens when the person you text doesn't answer back? What if you really want to hear from a person and you never get that text ,or email, or call? How is that really any better? To me that would bring the same amount of negative feelings that I'd get by seeing posts of someone having the time of their life while I wasn't.
The article was an interesting read, I just think that people should take social media so seriously. It's meant to be a time waster why cant we just leave it at that?
Monday, April 15, 2013
Something new.
Even though I hate the title, but being an "artist" is sometimes very awesome.
Today I created something that wasn't in the world before.
That's an amazing feeling, and even more amazing is that people liked it.
Today I created something that wasn't in the world before.
That's an amazing feeling, and even more amazing is that people liked it.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
truth of the moment
Sometimes I push people away or shut them out because everything I touch turns to shit.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Tested
The last few weeks have been a test of my limits.
It began with emotional limits. I found out a few coworkers one of which I admire have Cancer, Another person is suffering severe depression. It sucks but everyone is coping.
It continued with creative limits. A best friend came to visit on her spring break and we had a challenge, four paintings in less than a week. We did it! It was such a fun and surreal experience to be painting on the same canvas at the same time with one of your best friends. All four paintings were for her but cant wait until she visits again so we can work on paintings for me to hang in my own home. I could do them myself but they would mean more to do them together.
Yesterday was a test of physical limits. I worked a 13 hour work day in my day job not from any art related job. From the early morning til the evening I was in charge of a group of about 20 and we worked under a hard schedule. I felt like I was behind at times and that I could've done things better to be more efficient but those are lessons learned for the next time. I came home exhausted and delirious but knowing that I could do it.
It's always interesting to see how far or how WILLING a person can go when limits are being pushed.
It began with emotional limits. I found out a few coworkers one of which I admire have Cancer, Another person is suffering severe depression. It sucks but everyone is coping.
It continued with creative limits. A best friend came to visit on her spring break and we had a challenge, four paintings in less than a week. We did it! It was such a fun and surreal experience to be painting on the same canvas at the same time with one of your best friends. All four paintings were for her but cant wait until she visits again so we can work on paintings for me to hang in my own home. I could do them myself but they would mean more to do them together.
Yesterday was a test of physical limits. I worked a 13 hour work day in my day job not from any art related job. From the early morning til the evening I was in charge of a group of about 20 and we worked under a hard schedule. I felt like I was behind at times and that I could've done things better to be more efficient but those are lessons learned for the next time. I came home exhausted and delirious but knowing that I could do it.
It's always interesting to see how far or how WILLING a person can go when limits are being pushed.
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