 |
It’s All About the Process
I’m so pleased you have decided to find out more about me and About the Process of creating art. In this virtual web-based environment it is challenging to really connect with web site visitors. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could actually meet for lunch and chat? As that is unlikely, I will do my best to help you experience the conversation we would have about the process of creating art - just if we met at an art exhibit or art fair. I took my first painting class in 1979 and knew I had found my passion. My first paintings were in oils; lots of copying other artist’s landscape and still life subjects. I taught myself to use acrylics and have loved them ever since. No smells, quick drying – very appealing for an impatient artist.
A remarkable fellow artist came into my life around 1994. He opened up an amazing new world to me. "Thanks, Frankie!" He showed me the incomparable challenge of painting in the abstract and a lot about the process. I’ve been doing my own original work ever since.
Creating abstract art is the ultimate test of an artist’s abilities. When there is no “real” subject matter, the artist must rely on the principles and elements of design, using color and shape to create a dynamic, cohesive painting. Working intuitively as I do, well, it’s like a treasure hunt.
Color and texture are hallmarks of my work. At times I apply a texture to the surface before starting to paint.
At times I apply a texture to the surface before starting to paint. For me, much of the enjoyment is About the Process, not the product. Frequently I will add the element of collage to my work. Both these techniques add to the visual history of the painting. It is especially intriguing to me when you can see parts of what an artist did to a piece; collage peeking out from under color; texture enriched by the added layers of paint. My favorite approach to painting is to layer colors in thin washes. Delicate, luscious colors result. Sometimes the whole painting gets reworked. I’ve found that I learn the most from “bad paintings” – unsuccessful pieces that refuse to be tamed. It’s all about letting my creative spirit out to play. I so enjoy experimenting with new techniques. Abstract painting provides a suberb opportunity to explore unknown territory. The possibilities, the potential … My sketch book is teeming with ideas for paintings. I find words especially appealing and am currently working on a number of different series. One of which is Words. There is a list, constantly updated, of words I wish to give form and shape. Another series is based on two books by Marianne Williamson, “A Woman’s Worth” and “A Return to Love.” At the risk of sounding my own horn, some magnificent, even breathtaking, pieces have come from phrases gleaned from those books.
For example, “Circles of Inner Knowing” has produced three different paintings.
If you look at my Abstract Figures on Canvas, you’ll see the start of my series, “Wild Wonderful Women.” This series is all about the process of celebrating women in all their roles and forms. As I sit here inputting this information, I’m chuckling to myself. I had to go get my sketch book with all my notes to get the correct titles mentioned above. As I laid the book on my desk, all manner of bits and scraps of paper floated out of the pages and onto the floor. I really DO need to Get Organized. An artist’s mind is a scary place to be at times, metaphorically speaking. So many ideas adrift in a sea of possibility. It’s much like my jumbled sketch book. Bits and pieces stuck everywhere, no rhyme or reason, grocery and to-do lists in amongst the chaos. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I find many serendipitous happenings in the chaos. Odd things juxtaposed against one another. The artist’s mind catapults from one idea to the next. Navigating by spiritual radar. Trusting in their higher self. You may be surprised, by the way, to know that it took me a long time before I felt comfortable referring to myself as an “artist.” Wasn’t that someone who had gallery exhibitions in New York? Lived in Paris? It wasn’t until I had been engaged for a long time in this very spiritual endeavor called art that I realized being an artist is not what you do – it is who you are. I can honestly say that I live and breathe my art. Every day I think about the process, color, design. Every day I am grateful for this wonderful gift. I am so lucky to be an artist. What’s more, I’m blessed to have a supportive husband and family. Their encouragement pushes me to new heights. Part of our job is to help others see as we do.
|
