Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Creating Art

I haven't felt much like creating art for several months now. The reason for my lax is because I am not selling any work. Why continue to create when there isn't anything going out the door? As one Internet friend reasoned "because you enjoy the process of creating". Well, I do enjoy the process of creating, but it is small consolation when I see my framed work sitting on the floor next to a dresser my grandfather made or what I like to call my creativity station.

I'm trying to make room by hanging pieces on the walls in my home, but they are only reminders that in this too I have failed. It feels like such a failure if I'm creating art, but not selling it. Yes, the economy is bad right now...blah, blah, blah...but if I were good, I feel people would buy my work.

This is just another low spot for me with no remedy.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hanging at Sweetwaters Cafe in Ann Arbor Michigan

On Monday, May 31, 2010,I will be hanging 7-10 pieces of artwork at Sweetwaters Cafe in Ann Arbor Michigan. I'm not feeling at all confident about my work or this show. I've really lost a lot of steam in the creative department probably because I had two major art blows this year. The first being not getting into the juried show at the Ann Arbor Library for a second time. The other--none of the three pieces I submitted for the "Water" show at River Gallery in Chelsea Michigan were accepted for their juried show. The first blow was bad enough, the second? Well, it was devastating. I haven't created anything fresh since Feb. And even that piece still hangs taped and unfinished on my dining room wall.

Did my muse run away or did I slam the door in it's face? What a terrible thing rejection is to the creative spirit. Feels like I'm back writing again and finding letters of rejection in the mail. The last letter of rejection was for my very first young adult fantasy novel. It came with a personal note as to why it was rejected. Even so, it was rejected--not good enough to be published. This is how my art feels right now--not good enough to sell.

I have no idea how to price my pieces either. Most are 22x28" oil pastels. I'm thinking of putting a price tag of $150 each on them...but will this be too little? There is one I love and do not wish to sell it, but it is an oil pastel and like some others...pricing must be consistent, so says me.

I'll figure it out before Monday.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Sweetwaters Show

So today I was notified that a spot is open for me at the Sweetwaters Cafe in downtown Ann Arbor Michigan to show some artwork from June 1-Aug 1. I'm excited to get to do a show, but wondering what in the world do I have to put up at it.

I didn't make it into the A2 Women Artists Spring Juried Show at the Ann Arbor District Library. I only entered two pieces into the show. I thought for certain one at least, if not both, would have made it in. I guess my "Ode to Mark Rothko" oil pastel paintings were a bust for the juror. I wonder if Mark Rothko himself would have gotten into that show...probably because he is Mark Rothko.

I'm learning and playing and creating and discovering more and more about this art process. No, my work is not popular, but I'm creating it for myself as a catalog of what I thought was important at the time. I'm trying to capture moments in time and put those down on paper so I remember what was important...views of Lake Michigan and the peace visiting that spot on the world gave me...the near collapse of Wall Street and the fear it invoked and the dreams...my body--the celebration of the fat woman that I am and the embracing of it. I fear failure. (Is it okay to fear failure, but to try anyway and maybe not have my art liked because it's not from someone who is an "accomplished" artist or understood?) I feel so cold thinking about the failure of getting into that juried show.... I sent out a disc for the upcoming show at River Gallery in Chelsea...I hope I make it into that one. If not, I may question why I do art if I am not selling it. Is there really a reason to have so many canvas's lining the walls in my home if that is all they are doing?

My work is not that great, I admit. But it is mine and that must be worth something to someone. Yes it is. It is worth a lot to me.

Friday, January 1, 2010

1 a.m. Tis the creativity bewitching hour

This morning around 12:35 a.m. I created a small, 12"x12" size oil pastel of a larger work I want to do. I wanted to see--actually see-- how the colors would blend together on paper. I only have one more piece of the stonehedge paper I like to use and don't want to blow it on something that may not turn out like the image I see in my mind. It's best to do something smaller and play with it.

Instead of calling the small painting something, I put "AP" for the name. "AP" means artist proof. Even though it isn't a print it was the only thing I could think of in terms of a name. My first thought was "test" but that really didn't convey what I wanted.

Even in the course of continuing to paint oil pastels, I'm learning new things. One technique I learned tonight is once the paper is wet with turpentine I don't need to keep wetting it to try to blend in the colors. I used my fingers and a rag to blend, both of which worked well.

I don't know when I'll actually work on the larger painting because I really didn't like the results of the smaller painting. I'll give the same painting a few more tries before I start something larger. I want to feel confident that what happens on the large paper is what I want the end result to be.

Creating Art at 1 a.m.

It isn't unusual for me to be up creating art at 1 a.m. It was part of my goals for 2010 and I wanted to get a quick start on it. After attending a singles get together, at home watching TV, I was inspired to create three charcoal drawings--two of me and one of something else. I don't remember.

Creating

New Art Year 2010

Okay, so I promised myself I wouldn't make any New Year's resolutions...but I just cannot help it. I have some thoughts about CHANGES and ACCOMPLISHMENTS I'd like to make in 2010, but these are not resolutions. Repeat, these are not resolutions.

So my accomplishment goals for this year are:

--create more varied artwork I enjoy working in oil painting and oil pastels, but it's time to branch out. I want to take some classes to learn new techniques. This will have to be discovered as I go because area art groups don't always list their offerings.

--get into a gallery I started to look into this back in October. One such gallery was in Chelsea. I looked for information about how to submit work to this gallery, but there wasn't any on the web. So I paid a visit to the owner to ask how to submit my work. He said he wasn't taking on any new artists at this time because he may not be here come the end of December. Now that it is January maybe I should pay him another visit to find out how it is going. How sad. That place was one of my favorite galleries and my work would have fit in with his eclectic theme.

--Sell Art This one is ongoing and a given.