I have a certain fear of heading toward photorealism in my drawing and painting. At the same time I don't feel like super loose is the style I am wishing for either. I like some stylization, but dislike cartoonish art. I like lots of white and dreamy indistinctness in paintings, but at the same time I admire vivid color.
In other words, I have a lot of work ahead of me, finding a style that I am comfortable with. And in order to get there I end up swinging from one discomfort to another. In order to stretch myself out of my comfort zone, I am taking the year long course Year of the Spark with Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple.... in a way, another discomfort because almost all of my classmates love the whimsical... and although I am not humorless, and enjoy their offerings, my art always tends toward the serious.
But Carla is careful about not making clones of herself, and I appreciate that. And her class pushes me where I would not go otherwise. The first class with Carla was all about experimenting with line quality of the different media I have on hand. And I made a discovery. I love drawing in ink, using the ink dropper. It lends a spontaineity to the drawing that I crave.
In other words, I have a lot of work ahead of me, finding a style that I am comfortable with. And in order to get there I end up swinging from one discomfort to another. In order to stretch myself out of my comfort zone, I am taking the year long course Year of the Spark with Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple.... in a way, another discomfort because almost all of my classmates love the whimsical... and although I am not humorless, and enjoy their offerings, my art always tends toward the serious.
But Carla is careful about not making clones of herself, and I appreciate that. And her class pushes me where I would not go otherwise. The first class with Carla was all about experimenting with line quality of the different media I have on hand. And I made a discovery. I love drawing in ink, using the ink dropper. It lends a spontaineity to the drawing that I crave.
I used the ink drawing technique in the pair of paintings above, letting the ink drip as I drew. I thought about covering the drips as I painted, but decided to keep them as they seemed to go well with the psychological sensation of going through fire and flood. Still, this style is a bit looser and "messier" than I want my typical style to be.
Here, in "Sweet Violets" I drew with ink first but let it dry flat before painting to prevent dripping. I like this painting a lot... It feels like "me" but with room for growth!
I appreciate those of you who are willing to follow me on my journey.... who don't mind my seriousness, and who are willing to watch my vascillations as I reach to define and refine my style.
And to my fellow creatives... don't be afraid to go where you will be a little uncomfortable! It may be just what you need to grow.
I appreciate those of you who are willing to follow me on my journey.... who don't mind my seriousness, and who are willing to watch my vascillations as I reach to define and refine my style.
And to my fellow creatives... don't be afraid to go where you will be a little uncomfortable! It may be just what you need to grow.
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