Come and Join the Fight for our Future ~ Current Show

Bad Business
An Anti-Corporate Art Show
Presented by
South Lake Artists Co-Op

Opening Saturday May 17
1-9 pm
Closing date TBA

Paul Henry’s Art Gallery
416 Sibley St.
Hammond, Indiana

 

Chasing Firelight ~ Getting inspired by mish mashing color on a page

I am gearing up for an Abstract call for Art at the end of the month. One of my art mentors/teachers, Tom Torluemke (<- Check out his art) is encouraging me to paint and paint like a mad woman using colors and just playing then taking shapes and things I like about all the play pieces into the final image. This is what I created…

I played with 4 colors only and my plan was really to leave some white on the page of my sketchbook but that never happens. I started seeing an idea in my play. I wasn’t planning on having a figure in the image or even things that looked like faces but I see them. I almost think I overworked this piece which tends to happen with some artists when they do abstracts and just get carried away in the play. I really tend to stick to warm or cool colors in many paintings and do not really mix “weird” colors that do not fit these subconscious standards I have.  I am going to start challenging myself to do this more. I need to leave the fear of an ugly painting behind.

For the opposite page of the sketchbook I decided to paint what I almost see. I went with shapes and just played with the figure in this abstract image I see and this is the result…

I think it turned out really cool and at first when I just played with the watercolor I felt as I almost messed up my sketchbook. I know that must scream loud volumes on my obsessive compulsive disorder (yes, diagnosed). Maybe it is also because it is a book and I want it to be nice because someone might look at it and say, “Gosh I love all these paintings but ew this one is really bad!”

After I laid down some ink I was very pleased. I started with the little ‘man’ figure first. Some of my friends is calling ‘him’ a girl… I think it might be the lines around the head but seriously I drew this as a boy, maybe even a eunuch. I think this image has potential to be a larger piece, but I am not too sure of the balls of light on the right hand side. That is what a sketchbook is for anyway, playing and making ideas!

Happy Little Tree

So this week I did a little shopping with my mom to get me out of my place. I am trying to do some normal things so that I will be ready to go back to work which will hopefully be soon. Painting has really helped me to not get crazy bored.

At Michael’s Crafts I got a watercolor sketchbook that was regularly $32 for $7, go me! I tried to see if the deal was also online to give you the link but they were sold out.

The first image I painted was this tree. Sometimes it amazes me that I can really get down on myself for a watercolor painting.  I do not feel I can really paint nature that well, but when I lay down ink on top of it the image changes! Much more life is brought into the image and something I feel I messed up I now love. Does that happen to anyone else? Is there something you do to a painting (you think is a disaster) in the end that makes you look at it with pride? Throw me a comment, let me know!

Abstraction and Free Association

I have done many abstract pieces but lately I feel that I need to up my game and take things to a new level. I need to practice and play and allow myself to almost approach things as a child. I need to be real and not over think abstraction. I need to treat abstract art almost as a free association but it is not an easy task.

There is another call for art out for an Abstract show and I do have time to really work on something and develop it a bit. Originally I had an idea in my head that I would prepare a canvas to make it appear as it was ripped open and there would be a fantastic red on the inside. The outside would have very natural colors. I do not have a meaning for this that I know of but it must be on a subconscious level. I seem to enjoy art and ideas where things are ripped away to expose the layers. I painted this in watercolor to solidify my idea. In the night I had a strong image of this piece and I saw a backwards #5 as well as circular rings. I decided to use these colors that I didn’t feel that would work well on this play piece. There is something interesting about the colors. I couldn’t figure out where I was seeing this image of the circles in this color from until today. Something about the red and that blue and the circles makes me think of an old comic called Tank Girl. This idea is contrived though because I imagined it and planned it in my head and then put it to paper. Is that a true abstraction?

I took out a clean sheet of paper and decided to work with only one color, Ocher. That was the plan but it eventually became a 3 color piece with white as the background shining through.

This piece was completely real. No plan, vision or idea in my mind, just a paintbrush on my paper. I listened in quiet to the sound of my brush gliding on the paper. The way I clean my brushes in a water glass and the sound of my brush clinking against the wall. I plan on doing more of these as a study and then I will go from there to paint on canvas. The thought of Free Association makes me nervous as I am usually a woman with a major plan. I think of what I want to paint and come up with a major idea in my head. I just do it and pray that I do not mess up and hope my idea works. I feel like it does but something is missing.

Bringing Corruption ~ Inspired by Take a Bow from Muse

So there was a call for art recently by an art group in my area. It is for a show called ‘Bad Business: An anti-corporate art show’ and frankly to be quite honest, as much as I wanted to contribute I thought there was no way I could really design something that would fit in. I really dislike politics and do not really follow everything horrible that every company known to man does. If I did I would imagine that I would need to make my own cloth, sew my own clothes, raise my own chickens and grow my own veggies as well as create a bio-diesel vehicle and live in a self sustaining house. I’m too lazy I guess!

I ended up listening to one of my favorite songs by Muse called Take a Bow. The complete lyrics, like my other music based art pieces I have blogged about are at the bottom of the page.

For this piece I really wanted to organize images of issues that I understand at the moment. the lyrics that stood out for me were

Corrupt, you corrupt
And bring corruption to all that you touch
And cast a spell on the country you run
You will risk all their lives and their souls

This makes me think of Obama, not so much what I feel for him but from all the opinions I hear all over the internet and in daily life. Especially when it comes to Obamacare. So the left figure I drew one of my Dragons with a forked tongue. There is a saying that a forked tongue is meant to mislead or deceive. I think some people feel lied to, not even necessarily by Obama himself but the American government in general. I attached the Obama symbol on the Dragon’s neck by a chain. I didn’t think much about it other than the fact I needed it to hang off of something. I was told by someone viewing it that it could represent the race of the President. Everyone is going to read into this what they feel and I think that it is very interesting!

The next words that I looked at that inspired me were

What we’ve become
Is contrary to what we want
You must pay for your crimes against the earth

On the right there is a skeletal creature and growing on him is the Monsanto DNA logo and on the Bottom, some BP gallons/spill as well as an oil drill on the left hand side. These are very relevant signs of our time. So many things going on today. I have the Obama Dragon and Monsanto (skeleton/death) figure almost in love and the gallons of oil almost as babies. I know that it is strange but I feel it works. I know many people think that even though these companies and entities are separate that ultimately they are in bed together and all of it ties in to control over we the people. There are a ton of conspiracy theorists out there!

So I don’t know how I can do a piece without a strong feeling, and I do have them but there is the fear at times of angering others. I honestly didn’t post this image on Facebook as I didn’t want to make people mad. Now I really feel like I should, just to get people’s thoughts. Even if my art makes someone angry I am still making them FEEL something right? Political type pieces will never make people happy but I guess it will make them think.

Take a Bow: Song by Muse
Black Holes and Revelations: Album
(c) 2006
If you have never heard this song or this band you should check them out!

Corrupt, you corrupt
And bring corruption to all that you touch
Hold, you’ll behold
And behold and for all that you’ve done

And spell, cast a spell
And cast a spell on the country you run
And risk, you will risk
You will risk all their lives and their souls

And burn, you will burn
You will burn in Hell, yeah, you’ll burn in Hell
You’ll burn in Hell, yeah, you’ll burn in Hell
For your sins

Ooh, our freedom is consuming itself
What we’ve become
Is contrary to what we want
Take a bow

Death, you bring death
And destruction to all that you touch
Pay, you must pay
You must pay for your crimes against the earth

And Hex, feed the Hex
Feed the Hex on the country you love
And beg, you will beg
You will beg for their lives and their souls

Yeah, burn, you will burn
You will burn in Hell, yeah, you’ll burn in Hell
Burn in Hell, yeah, you’ll burn in Hell
Burn in Hell, yeah, you’ll burn in Hell
For your sins

 

Inspiration for the Month ~ What is your Artistic Confirmation?

“You can be Creative only if you Love Life enough that You want to Enhance it’s Beauty!” – Osho

I am an artist, not a dabbler in the arts but a student of creativity. One is never a master as there are many things to learn. I long to be more free, like a child with less restrictions. My road block is my self-judgment of feeling my artwork is inferior to others. I never fully appreciate my level of skill. Sometimes I admit that I am jealous of other people’s creativity. I have in the past felt competitive instead of nurturing others. It is out of my own self-fear that I am not good enough and being an artist doesn’t make me special in any way if others are doing it.

I must remember some core things, truths that I have written in the past and must align myself with! You can answer these thoughts too for yourself! Make your own confirmation when you feel down! I have bolded the things for you to reflect on.

I make Art because… I cannot imagine a time that I cannot write, draw, paint or dream. It is part of my Visual Spirit to communicate and it is essential to my well being.

I am creative because…  I am alive, praise God for my gift! I want to create more beauty in this world and want to make the art that I love.

I must express my Unique Vision… I am an individual and though there are other artists in the world, NO TWO OF US ARE THE SAME!! We have different pasts and styles that have shaped us as individuals. I must stop the thought that my art is not as good as others. I just have a different vision!

“You cannot use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ~ Maya Angelou

Need an amazing book to guide you?  Creative is a Verb, If you are alive you are Creative by Patti Digh. I really enjoy this book that I am reading and working through she has writing projects as well as artistic projects to focus on. I have had this book for a few years but life got in the way. I am going to start some of these projects and answering some of these questions in her book here in my blog.
If you end up picking up this book or answer some of the questions I post here let me know! I would love to hear your Artistic Confirmations!!! I will also post about the projects so you can follow along with my progress or you can join in!