In my never-ending quest to discover more and more about the creative process— especially about painting—I am taking another look at the concept of abstracting. I’m very excited about my upcoming class Stretching Toward Abstraction (July 13-14), as well as my free presentation (June 18th), both at ArtEAST, (more info below).
Both the class and presentation focus on finding ways to personally express ourselves, using studio strategies that match who we are as people and artists. Because we’re all unique, there isn’t one solution to this problem.
In my upcoming presentation I’ll be showing slides of a variety of artists’ work in the context of where this work lies on the continuum between completely representational and completely non-objective.
I’ll talk about the painting process of several of these artists, with a focus on enlivening our own art and our artistic process. To me, it is not about picking sides—abstract vs. realistic—it is about digging deeper in order to find our own most natural form of self-expression.
This expression, of course, can be influenced by other artists, and will not stay stagnate. But in order to find that place, we have to be willing to mess around and play. This kind of play is not frivolous, but deep and wild and challenging. It can also be enjoyable, and it often is…but not always.
I paint best when I’m willing to let go of control, stay present in myself, and keep an attitude of what I think of as the Dance. I come in and out of this state. Finding and being in this state is easiest for me when I’m beginning a painting. Why? I have less to lose. I haven’t invested as much at this stage. Moving on with the painting, into the stages of editing, changing and refining, I can tend to tighten up.
I’ve given a lot of thought to how I can rekindle the Dance state as the painting moves along. I have a lot of ideas about this that I’ll share during this presentation and in my July workshop.
I invite you to come to the Salon presentation and be part of this conversation! Bring your own thoughts and questions on the subject, as well as a notebook and a pen. I hope to see you there.
