what artists do

How Do You Get Your Ideas?

2010-05-11T01:02:00.000-05:00

The other day I was waiting in line for a free movie screening. Someone noticed me drawing in my sketchbook and wanted to see my other sketches. She asked me how I got my ideas. I answered that I just start drawing and ideas come as I draw.

There are times when I have a general idea about what I am going to do. But what’s in my head is often a hindrance to what I work out on the page. Most of the time I change my mind along the way.

Eventually a drawing emerges with a particular personality. There’s a certain innate direction the image wants to go. I still keep my options open for finishing. But after a certain point, I stop. I’m ready for the next image.

Self-Editing

2010-04-22T23:02:00.001-05:00

For the last several years I have kept a list of ideas for my dot paintings. I decided that I wanted to be more thorough in my process. When I go back to my list I edit down my long list of themes. With time I find that it is easier to decide which ones are less important and which ones do not inspire imagery. By the time I get around to an actual piece the visual representation may change, but I do see it through.

Detours

2009-04-05T21:44:00.003-05:00

Recently I started a new sketchbook. I wanted to see what I might draw differently from some other recent artworks. As I sketched, I thought about an earlier piece in which I drew irregular rock shapes. But as I went forward I wasn’t satisfied with what was happening. So, then I made the shapes interlock. Hmmm, I thought to myself. I like these new shapes more than the old ones. Well, then I added on, but I didn’t want to constrict my drawing from changing.

And so the piece began to evolve in other directions. As I continued I attempted to imitate the way I began at first. However the more I tried, the more I found myself veering away from the original idea. Several times more I tried to return to style of the initial drawing. Again and again I found myself off in another direction.

In all I worked on this sketch for about nine different sessions of varying lengths. Along the way someone asked me for a business card. Some servers at a Chinese buffet asked if the piece was a Chinese dragon. Well, here is the sketch below. Given the responses from folks, who waked by me while I working and who saw this image posted online, I will be doing some more sketches and maybe some final works based on this – if I don’t’ do something else first.

Eclectic Connections, graphite on paper, 8.5" x 11"

Simplify

2009-03-14T02:06:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I get so carried away with a piece that I get bogged down when it comes to finishing. It is best if I just stop and put it aside. Later on it will hit me how to simplify what I’m doing and complete the piece.

Change

2009-01-02T22:32:00.001-06:00

As the year begins I am wondering about the word “change” and what it will mean. This is not just because of a new administration in Washington that constantly emphasizes the word nor is it the dramatic economic events that are taking place. With a “9” at the end of the year, a decade is ending.

As an artist, I’m very curious to see what will define the next few years visually. What I see now are the products of decisions already made. In past decades, there have been certain characteristics that helped define them differently from previous ones.

In the twenty-two years since graduating from college I have traveled various artistic paths. Where might I want to go this time? What imagery might I want to try? Is there a current idea I will want incorporate into my art?

When I turned forty I was forced to use reading glasses in order to see detail. I’m finding myself not as loose in my artwork process now. Will I go back to a more expressive style? Will my age affect my work? Should it matter?

Sure I’ll keep my eyes peeled for clues of what’s coming. In the meantime I really need to make some more art. If a show opportunity presents itself, I better have some work to exhibit.

Against the Grain

2008-06-22T21:28:00.001-05:00

Once in a while I have to make art in a way that is contrary or unlike what I normally do. On Sunday, May 18th, I was invited to participate in an art show June 1 – 13 in Baton Rouge. That gave me two weeks to have art ready to hang. Whatever I did had to be a quick process. In conjuring up ideas I decided I wanted to try more masculine colors. By that I mean more browns.

As I started arranging my compositions, I found myself going back to grids in order to structure my works. Only this time, I made them less uniform. As I rendered the pieces, I soon found myself annoyed at the most extreme of these works, a gouache painting. Gee, I reached the total other end of the spectrum from my earlier days of splattered paintings. Oh, I did make one non-grid piece with masculine colors.

Having vowed to go as speedily as possible, I ended up more anal in the way I worked. My process this time was more like working a jigsaw puzzle. I used to love solving those, too. As for what next, I’m not sure. It was a rush to push myself like that, but I prefer to go slower and take some time to work through a piece.

A Groove

2007-11-29T00:12:00.003-06:00

Following my return home after Hurricane Katrina, I have been painting
and selling my dot artwork. But what about my other work created during
the first half of 2005? Dot art is not the only type of art I make. For the last two years I have been a little unsure of where I wanted to go next with my other artwork.

The pieces I completed for an abstract art show, in Baton Rouge, August of 2005, received a lot of enthusiastic praise from my peers. I recently completed one piece I did not finish for that show. It is with that effort that I now have sense of what to do next. I now have a groove.

Art Books

2007-09-12T02:02:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night I went by Barnes and Noble to check on some art books I want to purchase. Two of them were available, but another one is now on backorder. While I was there I skimmed through some other art books. I found several that showcased some artwork by current artists. When I see art books like that, I just have to get them.

Yep, the art section of a bookstore is a very tempting area for me. Anyway, I always look for inspiration/stimulation for new art. Who knows what these books will provoke me to create. Hopefully I’ll find a new direction or some new directions to take. Making the same kind of art over and over again gets old quick.

A New Level

2007-08-15T15:33:00.002-05:00

Some portfolios I retrieved from a family home have been sitting in my art storage room at home since I’ve been back after Katrina. I knew from past browsing that the majority of my kid art perished. Last week I decided to see what actually survived.

Most of the work is from college, but there are some pieces from middle school and high school. Of course some pieces suffered because of age or what was in the air. Rubber cement used on the back bled through the
paper, too.

What surprised me was that some artwork just didn’t look as good as I remember. Sometimes I created a piece and I was amazed by it. Often these pieces were breakthroughs for me. And so I guess I’ve progressed to another level. That’s the silver lining.

Derivative Art

2007-07-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

First, here is the definition I found for derivative art in the context of art, via About.com:

Art that is based on the work of another artist or school of art, or uses all or part of another artist's work in it.

This term has me on the fence, but I lean toward the idea that an artist makes a work her/his own.

Sure, I am concerned about having my work copied or passed off as someone else’s. I’ve known artists who have been taken advantage by others. One told me that someone photographed her work at a show and later sold prints to a hotel. Another arranged with someone for prints of her work to be made and sold. Then she received only one check before finding out that the person had skipped town. At any rate I don’t fool with prints. I concentrate on making originals. If someone takes advantage, I’m taking the risk since I’m not getting any younger. Having my art seen is more primary, just now.

In the last few years I have noted the creativity of folks on the Internet who recycle images and ideas with their own stamp. If anything their enthusiasm and playfulness have inspired own art creation. It is still popular to rework something old, but my sites are set on making something mine.

An Art Day

2007-06-20T01:22:00.000-05:00

There are some days I just have to set aside for looking at art. I need to just go and take a few hours to walk through some exhibitions. Doing this has a soothing effect on me. I usually have creative ideas after. Sometimes there are books or catalogs I just have to purchase as well.

Today I went to see a show at the Newcomb Art Gallery. The current exhibit concludes this month. It is a collection of paintings, drawings and prints on paper borrowed from private collections from across the city. Some artist names I knew, while others I did not. At any rate I made today an “art day”. I need to do this more often.

Feedback and Collaboration

2007-05-13T15:47:00.000-05:00

Over the last year some artists have inquired about my “dot art” process. A couple of weeks ago I decided I would have a painting session at the Westwego Art Center and invite my fellow artists to join me while I paint. I brought dowels and cotton for them. This Monday I am trying it again.

In September I have been asked to conduct a “hands-on-workshop” with this technique. This is a way of preparing for the workshop. I want some. Also, I want to see what my fellow artists come up with. Maybe they will find a different method or come up with something interesting.

It is ok to work by alone, but sometimes having a group is beneficial in creating art. Anyway, I’ll see what happens. I’ve begun the final phase of the current batch while I wait for the next batch of canvases to arrive at the art supply stores. I ordered more canvases recently.

Press Pause

2007-04-19T01:32:00.000-05:00

Hold on a minute . . . I have to catch my breath. For the moment I have to take a break. With the closing of a gallery, I had to take a bunch of work home. Had the gallery still been open, I would have painted last Saturday.

At any rate, I need a break from my process. The next step will be the dots on a group of my paintings. It is the scariest part of completing these pieces. I will be taking my ideas and translating them into dot patterns. Until I do this I am unsure how it will all work out. I’m a bit nervous even though I’ve already painted so many already. Anyway, I need to take it easy just now.

Momentum

2007-04-05T19:56:00.001-05:00

When I was in Memphis, the fall of 05, I painted eight canvases. When I arrived back in New Orleans I had a list of ideas based on the six weeks I was there. By June I finished seven more. In August I completed the series with eleven more. The whole process took place over a year’s time.

While working on the Memphis pieces, I began plans for another bunch based on my return to the New Orleans area. The ideas came much more slowly. I didn’t want to do “hurricane” or “flood” art. Instead wanted to keep the same enthusiastic spirit of the Memphis pieces. I wrestled with my ideas. The inspirations were spread out over a longer period of time. In the end it took eighteen months to create this set.

Ideas for the current collection also came slowly, but now production is going faster. Hopefully, I’ll be done in ten months. As I work on them, sales of the second group have been much faster. Eight were sold before wiring and signing. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve accumulated ideas more quickly. Now I have a list for another grouping.

The whole process is beginning to pick up speed. I’m clearer on what to do next, even if painting is still time consuming. When sales picked up, I ordered more canvases too. There’s no reason to run out of them now. Just last week, I sold six more – four from the New Orleans series and two more from the Memphis series. Hopefully I will be able to sustain this momentum.

An Art High

2007-02-16T16:38:00.001-06:00

Once in a while someone will tell me that an artwork that I’ve completed is the best I’ve ever done. That happened with some recent paintings. On top of that, the complements have come from more than one person. So I’ve made a breakthrough.

During the last few painting sessions my level of enthusiasm has been higher. The pieces have pleased me a lot more than others recently. In fact I have more ideas for trying new approaches to my paintings.

The combination of viewer appreciation and my own enthusiasm has me on an art high. I need to have more of these.

I Sold

2007-02-11T16:47:00.000-06:00

It was just after lunch when the phone rang. A voice on the other end said she had a check for me – I sold some paintings. Now she needed some art to replace the ones that sold. My head was spinning. I didn’t have replacement pieces at home – finished ones that is.

I told her I’d be over shortly. My first stop was the gallery where I had some replacement pieces. I quickly took them off the wall and drove across the city. When I arrived I handed the six paintings to her.

As she reorganized the wall, we agreed that I should take four home - that had been hanging up the longest. Although I had sold earlier works from that same group, these were the least liked.

Now I have to get some more pieces ready should anymore sell.

Stuck

2007-02-02T16:18:00.000-06:00

There are two paintings I’ve had to put to aside. They are not working. I have them mostly finished, but both have problems. I’ve placed them on a shelf that I pass everyday. So, I’m forced to take a glance.

One is just boring so far. I have the colors I want, but there is not much to it otherwise. I need to play with the design more. Usually I have a design all worked out. I guess I was hoping more would happen along the way.

The other one is just missing that final touch. Hopefully that light bulb above my head will go off. That only happens when I am doing something else. It doesn’t work for me to actively try to solve the piece.

Anyway, at least I’ve had better luck on the rest of the series. Soon I will be down to these last two. And, I have lined up another batch after this one.

Process and Progress

2006-12-31T01:07:00.000-06:00

The new year will bring a new batch of paintings. This group will concern a period of time stretching from October ’05 to June ’06. All of them will be based on experiences since my return to the New Orleans area.

The pieces will again feature abstract patterns of dots. All I have to do is work out the dots. The backgrounds are finished.

So what about this past year?

I guess I’ll have to chalk this one up to “process” and “progress.” Although I have not taken any specific direction, there are hints of evolution along the way. With each new work I’ve completed, I have brought a new solution to a certain format. I have exerted more control over the colors I’ve used. Some works have surprised me and excited me.

Sometimes, it is best just to dive in . .

Transition

2006-10-31T23:58:00.003-06:00

Artistically I am befuddled. I know where I’ve already been and I’m not sure where I want to go next. I certainly know what I am tired of doing. At this point I find myself in transition to whatever is next.

Just painting and not having a direction can really be a disaster. I work best when I have a general idea and dive in. Minus that and I just make a mess
of materials.

Over the last few years I have made a point of looking at art that is being made now. I’ve traveled to see art elsewhere. Nothing has moved me to do something specific, but I have been moved by some of the work I’ve seen.
I guess all the visual input will eventually be a catalyst for whatever I
make next.

Oh, I wish this would happen soon . . .

Up All Night!

2006-10-24T22:59:00.002-05:00

Marathon painting is not ideal, but sometimes I just have no choice.
Thus was the scenario last Tuesday night. By 6 p.m. Wednesday I had to deliver art for an annual art show. That was the “cut-off.” It’s one of the better-attended shows I participate in all year. Last year’s show was canceled with all the Katrina upset.

So I had the television going and I set up my palette near the range in the kitchen. I had my roll of paper towels ready. Yes, I am a messy painter.
The remote was to my right. As I completed another area of dots, I had to find a place for that canvas to dry. Rotating between three canvases worked out fine.

On into the a.m. hours I continued to mix and paint. What color do I do next? Once in a while I had to change channels on the tube. Finally around 6 a.m. I was adding dots to the sides of the canvas. By 7 a.m. I was in bed resting up for the final touches.

Some hours later I sealed the pieces with a gloss finish. Around 1 p.m. I added signatures. After grabbing lunch I did I a final glaze over the signatures. Then I added screw eyes and wire. That went smoothly this go round. I labeled the backs of the canvases and put them in the car.

I drove madly Uptown for the drop-off. Arriving with an hour and a half to spare I breathed a sigh of relief. I set them down and was gone. Now I was back to the film fest schedule.

This weekend I finally managed to catch up on sleep. Marathon painting really did in me for a few days. I had hoped to finish these sooner having started them four months ago. Before I was sure how they were going to end up, I had to send in titles for the title cards. I simply named them
“Uno”, “Dos” and “Tres”. Click on the links to see them.

Deadlines

2006-08-17T18:46:00.000-05:00

Sure I’ve had deadlines for art shows before. Unfortunately the artwork I make, when I have one, is never as good. Worse yet is when I don’t know where I want to take a piece. Such is my dilemma tonight. I know I need to finish and nothing is clicking. Even if I do have the pieces in a show for the next two weeks, they might not be really finished

Art is Slow

2006-07-31T22:23:00.000-05:00

No matter how long I’ve been making art, it is still a slow and draining process. I had assumed at some point it would become easier. Then again, I don’t like to keep doing the same thing over and over again either.

Coming up with a new directions is not easy. I’m constantly looking at books or shows featuring contemporary art. There are too many works that are derivative of what’s gone before. Once in a while I see something memorable that inspires me. Anyway, back to the studio.

Didn't Like at First

2006-07-16T19:44:00.000-05:00

Once in a while I make a piece that I don’t like at first. But then, some time later, I realize I’ve made a breakthrough.

In making some pieces last fall, I felt like I was in an artistic rut. That has hindered me from creating new work. A few weeks back I made myself paint. Although finishing the pieces was a slow process, I feel like I made progress.

Sometimes I just have to do and hope for the best. In the meantime I’ve already sold three of the new ones. Now I just need to finish the eleven remaining. They are three fifths of the way completed.

Creative Burst

2006-06-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

Suddenly the creative energy has come back in a burst. I need to just run with it while it lasts. I’ve digested what’s happened in recent months and now I am anxious to dive in again.

For a while I got bored and burnt out. I guess it is part of the process. You exhaust exploration in a certain direction and then it is time to go another way.

I wish all this was less of a roller coaster . . .

Insomnia

2006-05-25T03:15:00.000-05:00

I’m ready to go to sleep, but my mind is still awake. Oh, another thought. Then another thought. And don’t forget this. And don’t forget that. Oh, but that made me think of another this or that. When will my Tylenol PM kick-in. Hmmm . . . maybe the monitor will wear my eyes out making it easier to close them and . . . OK, my eyelids are starting to close. Maybe I’ll have luck this time.

Creative Block

2006-04-20T00:48:00.000-05:00

Once in a while I experience “creative block.” I produce absolutely nothing. It is very frustrating to NOT be inspired.

During these interims I still look at other art for ideas. Yet, nothing comes. Not that I’m interested in merely imitating someone else’s art. I simply hope that something I see will be a catalyst for my own artistic expression. Usually that “spark” comes when I am doing something else.

Remakes

2006-02-13T19:39:00.002-06:00

Recently there have been a number of 70s movie remakes with more on the way. For the summer season we will see "Poseidon" and "Omen" going head to head. Of course special effects are more spectacular now than back then when Irwin Allen ruled the disaster movie genre.

So what is it that makes us redo something old over and over - as I move my thoughts to art. Haven't we seen enough still lifes, figures, landscapes and so on? If you see some abstracts, haven't you really seen everything?

As I look at video clips there are people taking what they see on television and at movie theaters to make there own versions on video. Sometimes these folks manage to do something interesting, but often times their
efforts miss.

There is an amount of comfort in things that are already familiar. However, I do prefer something new - particularly something unexpected.

You know, surprise me for once.

Repeat

2006-02-04T19:52:00.000-06:00

An aunt of mine has seen "Walk the Line" six times. It's been a while since I'v heard of someone going back to see a movie more than once. That was more of 70s thing.

In eighth grade there was a girl who had seen "Star Wars" a bunch of times. She had "Star Wars" sheets, toothbrush and so on. When I saw "Jaws" the girls in front of me had seen it already and advised me that it would scare the hell out of me.

But then I remember the folks whose holidays are not complete if they have not watched "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Then there are those who await an annual showing of "The Wizard of Oz" or maybe have to watch "The Sound of Music" the next time it comes on. OK, so I have soft spot for those two, too.

A friend will IM me and tell me that he's watching a particular version of "Numa Numa" video again. I think he watches that video at least once a day now, if not more. He loves happy music.

People say you see more things each time you watch something. I'm not convinced it is true with everything you watch. Maybe it's true for complicated plots or plots with many twists. There are some things that are the same for me no matter what number of times I watch. But there is at least a familiarity that is comforting. The surprises are not quite as jarring as the first go 'round.

I do get bored quickly . . . next topic.

This Year Like Last Year

2006-01-15T19:03:00.000-06:00

Back in 2000 there was a musical review I saw at a theater in our "arts district." The show was full of excitement about a new millennium, but it also had a cynical undertone of "well it feels a lot like the old one." Becky Allen still made the show a fun experience.

There is the old French expression "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

So far this year is a continuation of the last one. The number is just a number and the problems are not going to be solved overnight.

Here's to something different soon . . .

New Year

2006-01-04T22:33:00.000-06:00

A new year is just like a blank canvas. The question becomes what should I do next?

First I'll have to kick around some ideas. Four months of hurricane and flood woes have been tiresome. So, I'm definitely ready to move on to something else. (By the way, my roof and gutters are fixed.)

There are some pieces I need to finish, but I have to start working some new stuff.

Progression and Regression

2005-12-19T20:49:00.000-06:00

What happens to artists and their work over time?

Hopefully artists realize a progression.

Main Entry: proÂ·gresÂ·sion
Pronunciation: pr&-'gre-sh&n
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
1 : a sequence of numbers in which each term is related to its predecessor by a uniform law
2 a : the action or process of progressing : ADVANCE b : a continuous and connected series : SEQUENCE
3 a : succession of musical tones or chords b : the movement of musical parts in harmony c : SEQUENCE 2c
- proÂ·gresÂ·sionÂ·al /-'gresh-n&l, -'gre-sh&-n&l/ adjective

Main Entry: reÂ·gresÂ·sion
Pronunciation: ri-'gre-sh&n
Function: noun
Date: 1597
1 : the act or an instance of regressing
2 : a trend or shift toward a lower or less perfect state: as a : progressive decline of a manifestation of disease b (1) : gradual loss of differentiation and function by a body part especially as a physiological change accompanying aging (2) : gradual loss of memories and acquired skills c : reversion to an earlier mental or behavioral level d : a functional relationship between two or more correlated variables that is often empirically determined from data and is used especially to predict values of one variable when given values of the others ; specifically : a function that yields the mean value of a random variable under the condition that one or more independent variables have specified values
3 : retrograde motion

There are times I look at earlier work and wonder how I arrived where I am now. Is there a progression or regression?

Maybe there is both. I do prefer trying something I haven't tried. Later I may return to familiar territory, but i enjoy re-inventing what I do.

Obsession

2005-12-19T20:35:00.000-06:00

So what drives artists?

From being around other artists, I would say making art becomes an obsession.

Main Entry: obÃÂ·sesÃÂ·sion
Pronunciation: ÃÂ¤b-'se-sh&n, &b-
Function: noun
Date: 1680
1 : a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly : compelling motivation
2 : something that causes an obsession
- obÃÂ·sesÃÂ·sionÃÂ·al /-'sesh-n&l, -'se-sh&-n&l/ adjective
- obÃÂ·sesÃÂ·sionÃÂ·alÃÂ·ly adverb

Artists become fixated with idea, images and/or themes. Some artists continue to come back to the same ideas, images or themes. Work selling may have something to do with that. Personally, I get fed up with with my own art very quickly. There is a point at which I have to stop and move on to something else.

That is my obsession. I'll rotate what I work on. Finishing is not easy for me.

Artist

2005-11-30T13:04:00.000-06:00

Another look at the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: art·ist
Pronunciation: 'är-tist
Function: noun
Date: circa 1507
1 a : obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts b : archaic : PHYSICIAN c : archaic : ARTISAN
2 a : one who professes and practices an imaginative art b : a person skilled in one of the fine arts
3 : a skilled performer; especially : ARTISTE
4 : one who is adept at something

Art

2005-11-29T17:15:00.000-06:00

Years ago I attended a lecture by a collage artist. He started off by defining "art" as "what artists do."

What is called art has become so broad. Thus the definition is rather fitting.

When?

2005-11-25T01:12:00.000-06:00

Just when does an idea hit you?

Morning?

Noon?

Afternoon?

Evening?

Night?

Middle of the Night?

Many times, I get ideas just as I start to wake up. I turn on the shower and my brain starts spinning the old wheels.

Other times I'm working on something else when lightning strikes. Out of nowhere an idea comes.

Once in a while the ideas simply come in an adrenalin rush. So many ideas fill my head at once that I have to make a brainstorming list. These hyper-brained instances will last a number of hours. Boy, those are exhausting.

And now it's time to stop. When . . .

There Is No Box!

2005-11-19T00:55:00.000-06:00

The phrase "out of the box" has been so over-used. Sometimes there are reasons to consider something that is "old" or "in the box." Why ignore anything "in" or "out" of the box. Then again some folks will argue that "nothing is new". I prefer to just say "there is no box." Why impose an unnecessary limit?!? Why even have a box?!?

What Is Art?

2005-11-18T23:00:00.000-06:00

I begin with the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary:

Main Entry: [1]art
Pronunciation: 'ärt, &rt
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English eart; akin to Old Norse est, ert (thou) art, Old English is is
archaic present 2d singular of be

Main Entry: [2]art
Pronunciation: 'ärt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin art-, ars —more at ARM
Date: 13th century
1 : skill acquired by experience, study, or observation (the art of making friends)
2 a : a branch of learning: (1) : one of the humanities (2) : plural : LIBERAL ARTS b : archaic : LEARNING, SCHOLARSHIP
3 : an occupation requiring knowledge or skill (the art of organ building)
4 a : the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also : works so produced b (1) : FINE ARTS (2) : one of the fine arts (3) : a graphic art
5 a : archaic : a skillful plan b : the quality or state of being artful
6 : decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter
synonyms ART, SKILL, CUNNING, ARTIFICE, CRAFT mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. ART implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power (the art of choosing the right word). SKILL stresses technical knowledge and proficiency (the skill of a glassblower). CUNNING suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing, or executing (a mystery plotted with great cunning). ARTIFICE suggests technical skill especially in imitating things in nature (believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice). CRAFT may imply expertness in workmanship (the craft of a master goldsmith).