Monday, May 30, 2011

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. This would make blog number 3. Am I nuts? Maybe. I didn't want to talk about studio stuff here or adoption stuff here. Here I just want to focus on the painting and the art process. The question I ask in the info about me is "So am I unfocused and immature or versatile and creative?". That question comes from a discussion I had with someone in an online discussion forum about the art world. Because I like to work on different subjects in different media I was characterized as unfocused and immature. The discussion got quite heated and it seemed to me that the person accusing me of being immature in my work was actually immature in her discussion of my work. So, the question remains.... is an artist unfocused when she works in a variety of media and subject matter or is the artist simply being open to the creative muses and expressing that creativity? Is there a different perception depending on whether the viewer of the body of work is coming from the academic world or the gallery world or the creator's world? Do those different perspectives need to be in conflict?

Your thoughts?






5 comments:

Momma Legal said...

Unfocused and immature or versatile and creative? What about a ballet dancer who also takes jazz, a football player who takes dance lessons, a musician who knows more than one instrument, a lawyer who practices in more than one area, the list could go on! Versatile and creative is the correct answer. How else will you discover what you have a passion for or are good at? It is also fine to stay within one area if that is what you want but don't judge others because you don't want/have the courage to explore others.

Carlynne Hershberger, CPSA said...

Excellent points Sarah! I think the view that we're unfocused comes from the galleries that want us to paint the best sellers over and over again. It also comes from the idea that you need to push yourself as far as you can go with a particular subject or media in order to explore everything you have to say within that area. That's all well and good but I think there comes a point where you become stale as an artist if that's all you do. Yes, it takes courage to explore something new but that's where the growth is. Change is uncomfortable for a lot of people and staying the same is just as uncomfortable for others.

Kelli said...

I think art, by it's very nature is experimental. How can we be experimental if we do not do many things?

Beth Macre said...

I have to agree with your way of following your creative muse. I love to work in a variety of media. It keeps me more creative. Being a high school art teacher requires me to be able to introduce many different techniques and media, so I am constantly finding new things that I love! I am not interested in painting the same thing over and over. I don't think customers or collectors want to see the same ole thing either. Thanks for your creative inspirations!

Carlynne Hershberger, CPSA said...

Hi Beth, thanks for your comment :)
I'm definitely more creative when I can explore different media. I think the answer to dealing with the market aspect of what we do is to organize our different explorations into separate bodies of work so when we present it we can make a cohesive package.