![]() Recently, I have exhibited in local art shows and exhibitions. I was very fortunate that several of my pieces sold at the shows. On two occasions, I was able to meet the collector of my artworks. What came up in the conversations was how the artwork spoke to them. The pieces were quite different, watercolour and abstract mixed media landscapes. I know when I am creating a piece, I almost get this giddy feeling and butterflies. When I experience those feelings, I know I am happy with what I have produced. It may take time during the process for this to come up, sometimes it can be immediate within the first layer. It made me wonder if similar feelings came up for the observer of art. Does the art talk to them through feelings, emotions, memories. Does the art take them back to a time and place, does it send them into an unknown exciting future, through the art piece? I know, personally artwork feeds my soul, both purchasing and creating. It evokes emotions and mostly brings joy. Art is for everyone and is always a welcome addition into ones life. Do you have an art piece that has evoked an emotion for you? Do you create art and have physical or emotional responses to what you create? Leave your comments below. Featured Artwork: Entertaining Angels and Friends
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![]() I have just returned from a week down at Phillip Island. Our plans were changed as we recently adopted a rescue fur baby. The weather was chilly and most days it rained, yet we were able to feast our eyes on some spectacular coastline. The day before we decided to head home early, I visited a gallery in the main street of Cowes. As I walked in, I noticed a board advertising an art class that afternoon. After chatting with the artist owner and her invitation to come back for the class, I couldn't wait to return later that afternoon. I enjoyed a few hours of painting a scene from my phone photos. Interestingly, I found it funny to have the colours squeezed onto the palette for me, colours I wouldn't have started with and some colours I would never have picked. Being an artist who enjoys working with a limited palette and mixing colours to create what is needed, I somehow felt overwhelmed by the colour choices made for me. I work from the sky down and this time I had to start working from the ground up. I found it challenging, yet exciting and different at the same time. It was fun to become the student and experience the class from a completely different way, when the fellow artist had no idea I also create art. Featured Artwork: Sunderland Bay, Phillip Island - work in progress, will be available for sale when completed. ![]() Recently I was asked how many art classes I run. I totalled them up and this year it will be approximately 120 classes. I also attend classes weekly, sometimes if I can fit it in I will attend an extra class during the week. Being up the front and running a class is very different than being a participant, that's for sure. What I have learnt running the classes is everyone has their way of processing the reference they are replicating. Every person has their own style. You can have a room filled with ten people, all doing the same reference photo, yet, there are ten different interpretations. A part of the reason to factor in is experience. Art classes have a range of people with varying degrees of creating art. The main factor, I believe is our interpretation of the piece. There is no right or wrong, there is no good or bad. There is no perfect piece, there is no dreadful piece. When I sit as a student in an art class, I love the ability to learn from the teacher, experiment, practice and enjoy the process. Sometimes, my work at a class I would prefer to throw in the bin, yet I keep it to learn from it. I enjoy finding happy little accidents, solving problems and developing my skills for future work. I don't define myself by the work I produce in an art class. I do see from time to time, a person wanting to replicate the reference photo exactly, like a photocopy. They admonish themselves for not doing it correctly or right. Occasionally, there are silent tears and bright red faces as the person tries their hardest to find perfectionism in art. Emotions come to the surface of "I'm not good enough", "my art needs to be perfect", and "everyone else is better than me". Negative self-talk that serves no purpose and is definitely no good. Take Vincent van Gogh, one of the world's most renowned painters, yet he is synonymous with the term 'a tortured artist'. He died at the early age of 37 and sold only one painting. In ten years he produced almost 900 paintings and around 1100 works on paper. Sadly, Vincent didn't get to see how some of his works are the most expensive in the world, his art style laid the foundation for future artists and he was one of the most influential artists in the history of art. So, my biggest takeaway and advice if I may...... enjoy the class, learn the process, develop skills, use what you learn for future work and don't define your ability by what is done on the day. You do you, comparison kills creativity and joy. What are your thoughts on comparison and self-talk? Share your thoughts and leave a comment below. |
AuthorLee Cummins is a mixed media artist, workshop and art class facilitator. Archives
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