Art Rag II

I picked up the two pieces from Kinkos last night, in the rain before class. I am sick so I am sure this colors my feelings, but this work which I was really, really liking isn’t working at this stage. I am bummed. But before you think there is a conclusion here, I will tell you this is a process, AND this is the moment of breakthrough. In real art for me there is a point of crisis, something goes haywire and needs to be fixed. You either press on and get it to work or give up. I usually press on, my nature, which is deeply embedded in my genes. The results most of the time is something I love and is better than it would have been had I had no crisis.

But facing the crisis is always, always yucky. I do this maybe I will never attempt mixed media per Photoshop again. Why did I spend the money to see if this would work? I have had this idea, one day I will put it on canvas instead of paper and I will love it, now it is a waste. And a waste of time and I have no mixed media direction. I should go back to bed.

Instead I went and got my drawing pencils and found the imperfections that the scanning process caused can be fixed with a pencil. I may or may not add color. I will go step by step and consult Scott my greatest and most trusted critic.

I need to get stretchers (Maybe I have some. I have quite a few from painting class, I need to look in the garage studio) I need to order a frame.

Something I did get from the gallery gawk on Saturday was when I looked at the mixed media pieces I thought the artist were very, very brave in their work. They really took chances with the media, subject and process. What held it together if it worked, some did, some didn’t, was design.

I want to be brave with my art. Brenda reminded me I was very, very brave with my writing. That helped me think maybe I have it in me.

Scott the critic just in.... "Mom it is the bomb."

We are discussing keeping the imperfections. We decided to reproduce the griding cause by the scan and pull it into the sky instead of correcting the imperfections. To do this I figure I can scan the part of the drawing with the grid on it and print it out. put graphite on the print out and rub it to the sky, subtly reproducing the effect. We think it will work.

It is so much fun to have an artist son.

Art Rag

My art blog isn’t all I wanted it to be. I have art blog block. I know this is rare and probably not a real problem, but I realized tonight I want to learn to write about art and I get writing about art block. I guess I think I don’t know how or I shouldn’t. There is a language that goes with art. I do speak it, maybe not fluently but I do speak it. Painterly, is my favorite art word at least for now. You know how I am about favorites of anything. I love all the colors. Maybe I lean towards red for while, then blue, brown… who knows what's next? I think it will be black and white art for awhile.

However, this weekend when I went gallery gawking with Brenda I noticed a new trend. Colorful art just like the fashions right now are very, very colorful. And also painting that had a varnish finish, very thick high gloss like an epoxy. Everything shined. I didn’t like it. It looked too Miami. And I know what I am talking about.

Another trend which I did like was the paintings that were done on wood especially an artist named Mark Smith at the Craighead Green Gallery. Check him. Brenda and I fell in love with his work.

Update on my submission. I forgot to pick up my canvas at Kinkos tonight. I ordered a canvas and a watercolor paper print. We will see which one works. I hope they turned out, you never know with Kinkos. (Kinkos is a bad word where I work.)

At work I am actually doing design, as in sketching and then rending in Illustrator. I got into a really interesting place before I had to leave today. I am working on a logo for a church’s capital campaign. The best part is I did this all in front on my boss and she was kind of amazed. Like I was on the light table sketching, then I drew it in illustrator and I was changing the line width and color and adding textures and she doesn’t know people can do these things. Then I tell her where I got the idea; from listening to the lady talk and looking at the architecture of the building and send the lady font samples and asking which one she likes and “look” like her church. People can’t give me a font, but they can choose one that is selected and they know if something fits or not. I know how to work with people.

My biggest frustration with work has always been people under estimating what I can do and not giving me a chance to do things. There I said it. I love the design process. One on my most favorite things was when I made mini quilts. I sometimes got to design them for other people. I would meet the ladies at a fabric store and pick out fabric and talking about motifs and sized and who the piece was for and all. I listen to people then I create. I learn about them and then I design. It isn’t so much about me as it is expressing something artistically for another person.