Thursday, March 25, 2010

Jan's Art Journal











Here are 2 of my projects. Donne kept asking me why I had to "see" something and then give the work a title. Answer--Because that's the way I always did it.

Sorry Donne, I've given them titles. The world wants titles. The first one is called Let There Be Peace. To me, it has a spiritual feeling. I'm using fluid acrylics on illustration board. The dripping is caused by spraying alcohol. Let er drip! The window was done first. I squeezed 3 paint colors on the illustration board and then pulled it down with a paint trowel. I added some touches with gold paint.

The second painting is called Heaven Sent, I think. This is fluid paint on watercolor paper. I then squirted some gold paint and then sprayed with my trusty alcohol spray bottle. I didn't know what to do next, so I took it to Donne. Donne said, "Thank heaven you didn't do anything to it." That's why I needed help. I didn't trust my own instincts yet. During this growth period, she also recommended that I don't ask for feedback from others, especially my spouse. That was a wise recommendation. If someone prefers realistic art, they may have no emotional connection to abstract art. How valid would their comments be in this situation?

In the next post, I'll include some work done further along on my growth path.

Jan's Art Journal

I haven't posted any art news for a while because I have been busy "making" art. I wanted to push myself in new artistic directions. My teacher, Donne Bitner, is an accomplished abstract artist. We've been meeting weekly for critiques, learning new techniques and support. For someone who has always had to "see" what I was working on, this is "way out" for me. Some of the first assignments forced me to think about what I wanted to accomplish. I want to find my personal artistic signature. Rather than doing what I think people will want me to do, I want to do what works for me. I'm still "in process" and it feels okay. What colors do I love, what do I love to paint, do I love my work? Tough questions, but necessary if I want to find the artistic me.

The next few posts will include some of the "finished" work. I'll talk about the process. Maybe this will help you along on your artistic adventure.