A Groove

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.