What are we trying to say with our art?
This question is a fascinating one to answer if we want to collect or create art. For the collector, we are drawn to art that causes us to feel what we want to feel. From the creator's point of view, it has to be the overarching "Why?" in our work. When we create, we want to hold that question lightly in the back of our minds. When we start to get answers to that it makes creating much more intuitive and purposeful. Whether I'm thinking of this question as an artist or collector, I think about mood and feeling. Do I want something that stops you in your tracks with color and exuberance or something quiet, serene and, peaceful? I like both even though I tend to create the former more, I am drawn to serene as well and will probably dabble more in that in the future.
Once we are clear on the feeling or mood we want, creating and choosing art becomes easier. Although in my experience sometimes it works the other way around. I'm drawn to a piece and then I have to figure out why. This is a great exercise in honing one's skills as either creator or collector. Select your favorite artists or artworks (Pinterest is a fabulous place to do this) and make a list of what it makes you feel, what you like about it, what style is it in, what colors and textures in it do you like, what is the subject matter?
As I've done these exercises over the last couple of years I've come up with a few things I'm trying to say with my art and online classes. The first and most important thing I'm trying to convey is Joy; a sense of delight and happiness but also a sense of hope. I want to share a spirit of joy, inspiration, and possibility in the human experience. I know that's a big order for a piece of art or an online art class but we do what we can and that's what get's me up in the morning and thinking of ideas all day. I encourage you to play with these questions if you are trying to define your style as a creator or collector. I'd love to hear what you come up with, just hit reply on this email.
Lots of new happened in the last week or so, a new class on Skillshare, new videos on youtube and I'm working on some new pieces that aren't available yet but are pictured below.
