Hi friends!
This past Saturday I was listening to the radio on the drive to Austin to visit my son when a great little talk about jazz music and how the scene has changed over the years came on. At some point, they played a few notes of BB King and it started me thinking how even hearing just one note from BB King tells you it's BB!
Of course this made me translate it all to visual art. You look at many famous artists and you can often name them pretty quickly for their look. Look closer and the immediate recognition is due to a type of stroke, a color combination, a line, a subject...on and on! I am sure you could study the mark Van Gogh made that said wind or cloud or tree etc., isolate it and recognize it as his!
So, what does that mean for us? I believe we each have our own natural tendencies. Pretty amazing to think of; as many people as there are in the world and we each lay a line down in our on remarkable style. Even as beginners, you likely had a certain way of approaching a canvas or drawing all your own.
I believe we all SEE in our own way too and that a great deal of seeing is not just based on the eye, of course, but interpretation, influences and opinions from a very early age and long held beliefs and feelings concerning particular colors and subject matter etc.
One of the great acts we can take in elevating our work, taking it to the next level, is noticing our uniqueness...taking a very close look at what we do, keeping the intriguing elements, editing out those which do not serve us well and enhancing our unique qualities!! Once you start to define what it is that makes that painting yours; do whatever it takes to emphasize those qualities: elongate, brighten, darken etc; enhancing in some way to bring out the greater YOU!
For myself; I notice my organic shapes, the way a line varies, tonal variations and a tendency for strong composition and balance. I try to find ways to build and enhance those natural tendencies. What have you noticed about YOUR unique qualities?
Please share YOUR thoughts by clicking on the POST A COMMENT below then use your google account or click on the ANONYMOUS choice , write your comment and add your name at the end, if you'd like it to show; then hit PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT. Thank you , Bonny
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Creative Spirit
Hi friends!
Welcome to Bonny's Art Blog. I will choose a variety of subjects on a weekly basis for your comment and look forward to developing an exciting art dialogue with you! This is a place to ask technical questions, find resources and comment on various art concepts. This week's topic is the creative spirit. If you'd like to place a comment after reading; please click on "post a comment" below the text.
The Creative Spirit
I feel compelled to create. Ideas and solutions seem to pop in my head from everywhere. I could be working on an art piece, struggling with how to achieve a certain effect or even wondering what effect I want at all, when suddenly, a word, a circumstance or visual experience will start some train of thought which compels me to the ah ha moment! How beautiful!
There are also those times when I simply stumble upon a technique, perhaps something has gone "wrong" and in an effort to "get back" to where I was, I find some new solution and new technique which surprises, delights and opens a whole new world of creative options.
All of these moments make me feel so thankful for my creative and solution finding abilities!
But, this still does not answer the question of where it all comes from and why we create. Perhaps a great deal of creating is, in part, an effort to communicate, to find like minds, to be appreciated, to purely express. That initial spark that compels you to get to the canvas is an amazing joy we may never exactly know the source of. Thank goodness, because the mystery is the beauty. AND, so, I suggest in order to explore further and to go deeper, one must allow expression from within and restrict outside influence at times. One must ignore, to some degree, the compulsion to please, to sell, to show and come to grips with that core spirit, to live there in order to then share.
If you are excited, involved, immersed in your work, if your life and art are one and intertwine, you will likely connect with others, creating work they would like to collect naturally.
Your thoughts are welcome here! Bonny
ALSO, please visit The Bonny Studio website for info about the art and classes at: http://www.thebonnystudio.com/ and visit my personal art site at: http://www.bonnyleibowitz.com/ ! Thank you, Bonny
Welcome to Bonny's Art Blog. I will choose a variety of subjects on a weekly basis for your comment and look forward to developing an exciting art dialogue with you! This is a place to ask technical questions, find resources and comment on various art concepts. This week's topic is the creative spirit. If you'd like to place a comment after reading; please click on "post a comment" below the text.
The Creative Spirit
I feel compelled to create. Ideas and solutions seem to pop in my head from everywhere. I could be working on an art piece, struggling with how to achieve a certain effect or even wondering what effect I want at all, when suddenly, a word, a circumstance or visual experience will start some train of thought which compels me to the ah ha moment! How beautiful!
There are also those times when I simply stumble upon a technique, perhaps something has gone "wrong" and in an effort to "get back" to where I was, I find some new solution and new technique which surprises, delights and opens a whole new world of creative options.
All of these moments make me feel so thankful for my creative and solution finding abilities!
But, this still does not answer the question of where it all comes from and why we create. Perhaps a great deal of creating is, in part, an effort to communicate, to find like minds, to be appreciated, to purely express. That initial spark that compels you to get to the canvas is an amazing joy we may never exactly know the source of. Thank goodness, because the mystery is the beauty. AND, so, I suggest in order to explore further and to go deeper, one must allow expression from within and restrict outside influence at times. One must ignore, to some degree, the compulsion to please, to sell, to show and come to grips with that core spirit, to live there in order to then share.
If you are excited, involved, immersed in your work, if your life and art are one and intertwine, you will likely connect with others, creating work they would like to collect naturally.
Your thoughts are welcome here! Bonny
ALSO, please visit The Bonny Studio website for info about the art and classes at: http://www.thebonnystudio.com/ and visit my personal art site at: http://www.bonnyleibowitz.com/ ! Thank you, Bonny
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