As my break from painting hopefully draws to an end (see what I did there?), I am faced with a conundrum. Do I sign up for a 6 week online course in composition? I like to think that I have no problem painting something that already exists; if I find a great photo, I can reproduce it easily enough, with a few adjustments if necessary. But is that Art? Some would say no, and I would tend to agree. Whenever I try to create a painting from memory or imagination, it rarely works out. I obviously have problems in creating a painting that works. There is always an amateurish look to it that I don't like, but I'm not quite sure how to fix this. I suspect that composition is the problem, but I could be wrong. I have read many books on composition, but putting the concepts to work seems to be difficult for me, Perhaps a structured course, where I could ask questions and where I would be forced to do things in a certain order would be helpful. I don't know. I can't remember the last time I took an actual course. Some would say I am strong willed and don't like being told what to do. And they would be right. But can I put that aside long enough to learn things that could really improve my art? When you think of it, it is kind of strange for a former teacher not to want to take classes, or is it? Anyway, I will have to decide soon, as the class starts in a week. Thanks for listening. Any thoughts?
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I am not able to paint these days, so I spend a lot of my time reading or watching videos about painting. Recently I came across a stack of old (1992-1993) issues of the Artist’s Magazine. I am trying to purge some of the “stuff” I have accumulated (wish me luck!!) so I am trying to stay in the ”donate or throw out” mode. As someone who thinks there is always something that can be done with everything, this is extremely difficult, but absolutely necessary. I am in no way a candidate for an episode of “Extreme Hoarders” yet (I bet they all said that!), but I definitely have too much stuff. So I am reading those magazines before throwing them out. I am sure I read them before, but it’s amazing how much of it makes more sense now than when I read them 10 years ago (I bought them second-hand, of course!) It made me realize how much more I know about art now than I did then, as a lot of the terms and expressions are more familiar and meaningful now. So I am getting a great review of some principles and am being introduced to some others (for example, I am sure I ignored all the articles on oil painting back then). I was surprised by the number of articles about watercolor, and it’s great fun to see the 30-year-old ads for art supplies! Cheap Joe’s and Jerry’s were doing mail-order back then, and of course no one had a website yet! You could call in your order, or send in a SASE (self-adressed stamped envelopes for those of you under 50!) to get a catalog sent to you. And the prices!!!! The only thing more fun is leafing through old computer magazines from the 80s and 90s, and yes, I do have some of those too! I found a few interesting articles on shadow colors, and cloud types, and various suggestions for techniques that I will want to try. If there were enough interesting articles in a single issue, it got a reprieve from the recycling bin! I was half expecting to see some articles being written by artists who have since become famous, but although many of them were very good, I haven’t recognized any of them yet. I still have a half dozen issues to go through. What this tells me is that any dreams I may have of becoming famous are pretty much that, dreams. That’s OK, I don’t really dream of that anyway. Recognition is great, but just being happy doing what you’re doing seems better. These days, there are so many people unhappy with their life, in too many cases for good reasons, that I really can’t complain. This may sound like sour grapes, but I don’t know what I would do with Fame. Now Fortune I could handle, but constantly being the center of attention, needing an entourage to protect me from the adoring fans, not being able to go out for a walk without having a drove of paparazzi capturing my every move, no, I don’t care for it! But I think I’ll be ok. Not to worry! Anyway, back to reading and purging, and soon, hopefully, back to painting! For the past few weeks, I have been “recycling” some previous posts instead of writing new ones. There are two main reasons for this. First, I wanted (needed?) to take a break from having to find a new and hopefully interesting topic for you each week, and second, I am working on a non-art-related project that has been taking up most of my time. That project is stalled right now, so I can take some time to talk to you about some new projects! Last year, I submitted a proposal to a local art center for an exhibition/workshop. The project was not selected (very few were) but I had the chance to talk to the center’s director at a function before Christmas, after she had announced that they were looking for activities or workshops for the future. I suggested that the workshop part of my project could very well stand on its own, and we agreed to revisit the subject in the new year. The project involves one of the art forms I have been working in for the past few years, namely Artist Cards. Artist Cards are small works of art the size of a sports trading card. They come in two types, one that is sold (Art Cards, Editions and Originals or ACEOs) and one that is traded only (Artist Trading Cards). The concept was created by a Swiss artist in 1997, which means that they will be turning 25 this year. You can find out more about ACEOs in this blog post I wrote about them, and see those I have for sale on my website (note that the online store is still closed for the moment, but you can still view the art, and reserve it if you wish by contacting me directly). I started painting ACEOs in 2017. I liked that they were small and could be sold very inexpensively. I think that, although I hadn’t realized it at the time, I also liked that their small price tag made it possible for just about anyone to own a piece of original art (see this blog post about why that is significant). Most of the ACEOs I have created are in watercolor, with many being pen and watercolor, but they can be created using absolutely any media! They are a great way to try out a technique on a small scale. But even though Artist Trading Cards have their own page on Wikipedia, no one I have ever shown them to, or spoken to about them had ever heard of them before! I would like to also trade Artist Cards, but I have never found anyone to trade with! And I would like to change that in Quebec, or at least in the Eastern Townships! The workshop part of my project proposal was to have a 2 or 3-hour long session where budding artists could first learn a bit of the history of Artist Trading Cards, then get to create one or two cards, then of course get to exchange them with the other participants. My long-term goal would be to have participants then spread the knowledge to other budding artists, and to create a community of Artist Card Traders, allowing people who may never have thought they ever could, to become art collectors!! Ideally, there could be regular trading sessions at the art center, similar to those currently held in several cities in the world, but just not in Quebec. Not yet! I still have to meet with and convince the director of the art center to give this a try. Last week I happened to find a second-hand book, entitled “Artist Trading Card Workshop”. It is full of ideas for making cards using an impressive variety of materials and techniques. It will be most helpful in illustrating what I want to do! As soon as the non-art project I am currently involved with is completed, I will be able to present my idea and hopefully get it approved! If not, I have a plan B! What do you think of my idea? Would you participate in an Artist Card creation and trading session? Hello dear reader. I am still taking time off, but not for long I hope. For the time being, I continue to repost earlier blogs. This week is the final part of my series describing my painting process, originally published in January 2021. I hope you have enjoyed this series, and will hopefully come back for something new next week! In case you missed them, here are links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5. |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
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