The beginning

A preview of a painting I started today using markedly different techniques from what I have been doing. I recently ordered nine books on classic oil painting, and from studying those as well as the masters, have a much better idea of how to approach the beginning of a work. It's a lot more comfortable for me to sketch in charcoal, outline in pen, and then begin an underpainting than it is to just start painting directly on the canvas. I think I've found my happy medium! Pun intended. 

My space

Just a quick post on what my studio looks like!
I've never really had a designated space to get dirty and creative, so having this corner of the dining room to do whatever I want is amazing. It's not much so far, but it does the job, and in the next couple of weeks I'm hoping to fill those white walls with inspirational photos of artists I love, and perhaps some completed paintings!

Artist Inspiration: Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is exactly what I'm looking for. In an inspiration, that is. A young, dedicated and super-realistic contemporary artist, Monks lives in Brooklyn and creates enormous oil paintings dedicated to observing the intricacies of water/oil/other liquids on skin.

Detail of Raw 2008, 48x64, oil on linen
From the tiny highlights on the strands of hair to the blending of the lips into the rest of the face, this close-up is one of the reasons I
fell in love with Monks's work. 

One of the things that I admire most about Monks's work is her dedication to her personal vision. She has not wavered over the years with the subjects she desires to paint, and though that can sometimes be seen as a fault in the art world, she explores new ideas and concepts with every new piece.
She captures that moment in the shower, which everyone can relate to, when you feel the water envelop your skin in a coating of warmth. The intimate subject matter, as well as the fact that she paints mostly women, is a juxtaposition of Old Masters and pop art. And though she would be considered a realistic contemporary artist, Monks retains that all-important painterly effect in delicate contrasts of water and skin,  as demonstrated in the above detail of her 2008 painting, Raw. When looking at the painting as a whole, though, the dabs of paint transform into a complex and beautiful image, which is indicative not only of her training and patience, but of a flash back to Renaissance painters, such as Albrecht Durer.
So what are Monks's words of advice for artists? She recently wrote on her facebook page:

Lose your edges, put down the photo, paint from your gut, let go of the idea of perfect....allow you own internal, visceral, subconscious or spiritual (or whatever you want to call it) VOICE - allow that to come through ...you must look at and respond to the paint, not the photograph.

Below are a few other works, including one of only a few male portraits that she has painted. Her newest paintings include painting subjects that are submerged in oil and water. Something that not many artists have thought of, which again, leads to her signature style and her masterful painting of liquids against skin.

Pause 2009, 16x24, oil on panel
Besides the fact that this guy is attractive and in a shower, the "painterly" effect really shows through here, which is why it makes a delicately beautiful
piece. One of her many talents in portraying 'wet people' is to grab that moment of peace and tranquility. 

Squid 48x32, oil on linen, 2011
I could easily stare at this for hours...from the bottom left almost Impressionistic interpretation of water, to the
effortless study of strands of hair in oil and water. This is one of her newest works, and the beginning of
her studying oil and water. 

You can find her website here, and a link to her facebook page here. She is currently exhibiting here, at Sarah Bain Gallery in Brea, CA from November 12 - December 2 in a show featuring small works.

Learning

Dear reader,

You may or may not be an artist, creative, or person (you could be a cat lying on your owners laptop reading this right now). It doesn't really matter either way...these are a few things I've learned over the past few months since my journey to try to become a professional artist began. It started off as a check-list to myself, to remind myself that I can do it, but I thought it would be fun to put it out there for others to see too. Whatever business you're in, some of these truths and fallacies relate to just about everyone. Let's get started:

--Creating art is not a hobby
and should not be done "on a whim" or whenever "your creative juices are tantalized". Rather, it is a skill that needs to be continuously practiced over and over again. Like picking up a guitar one hasn't played in a few years and plucking at the strings, it takes a little time to get back into the rhythm of things. I learned this the hard way, which seems to be the way that I like doing things. If you're one to dabble in painting or creating on the weekends, more power to you. I completely understand the idea of letting go and allowing yourself to be free from work/family/lifestyle constraints. But think about making it more than that. If you have the passion, dedication and can move your fingers to hold a brush, anything is possible.

--Style is relative.
Relative to the regional market, other artists that you may or may not know, and you yourself. It is not something that can be created with one painting, but rather needs to be summoned by the replication of countless paintings. Styles are also sometimes referred to as "movements" in the art history world. Pop art, expressionism, impressionism, contemporary realism, even surrealism are all significant stylistic periods in history. I like to approach it buffet style; take a little romanticism, mix it with pop art, some photorealism to top it off, and stir it all together. When creating a piece, you shouldn't be worried about fitting into a specific style, but rather trying to create your own style so that all those curated art websites and galleries will have to create an entirely new genre because of you. Street art/urbanism happened this way. Thanks Banksy, and all other originals!

--There is no right or wrong.
I already knew this (humble, I know), but it becomes more apparent when I look at a piece online or in a gallery and just wonder, "why"? Not why was it made, or why did this artist choose to make it, but why do other people enjoy or care about looking at it? This attitude needs to be transformed as I hopefully become part of the art world. Why is also relative; it is not necessarily a question an artist asks him or herself when he/she begins a piece, but rather an obligation of the viewer.

--There's A LOT of business stuff that's no fun.
Copyright laws, researching royalty free stock images to use as reference, contacting multiple galleries in hopes that one likes your art enough to actually put it on their wall. It's extremely boring to wade through the legal aspects of creating and showcasing your works, but also a lot less boring than entering data into spreadsheets at an office all day. As I try to tell myself whenever I get discouraged, "this is your path, this is your expression of who you are, and why/what you want everyone else to see that you see in your mind". Ok, that was a little confusing. Basically, it's part of the struggle, but it makes you appreciate the creating process that much more.

--Choose a medium and be done with it.
I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet. It seems as though most respected professional artists pick one specific medium (oils, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, multimedia, installation) and stick with it for a very long time. This makes me wonder what process they went through to find it. I immediately think of the sorting hat in the Harry Potter series, and how an artist puts it on their head, and it burps out, "OILS for you!". This has been a particularly difficult aspect of my 'artistic journey', and just now, I'm considering ditching the oils, getting a nice glass of water and making a huge watercolor painting. Problem is, I've never used watercolors before. This is also the problem with being self-taught. In art school, the student's inevitably peruse grocery-store style, a variety of techniques, mediums, and ways to put stuff on paper (or canvas, linen, whatever).

--No hermits allowed. 
Yeah, this is rough on me. As one who enjoys long walks on the beach (alone) and abundant amounts of alone time to think or just stare at the wall, getting out into the world can seem daunting. Especially if you know there's tons of other people just like you who would love to exchange ideas, techniques, maybe even phone numbers. The seductive theory of being a crazy creative who never leaves the house and drinks gallons of whiskey topped off with a dozen cigarettes in order to create amazing pieces is just that: a theory. Sure, it may work for some (Hemingway was a pretty heavy drinker, I've heard, and Picasso cut off his ear), but in today's social media and communication driven world, it's way too easy to get out there. Being alone and tortured is actually much harder.

--Stop caring. Just stop it. 
No, this is not easy at all. In fact, it might be one of the hardest challenges that I'll be facing. I like to tell myself that I don't care what other people think, but let's face it; when someone looks at me strangely I don't stop thinking about why for five minutes afterwards and get unnecessarily offended. In the art world, though, taking people's opinions too seriously could cause a lot of harm to your personal growth. If every piece you've ever submitted has been rejected by a variety of different galleries, try try again. This is very easy to say, and I am positive that when I submit my first piece to be judged, I will react in an over the top manner no matter what. But this leads us to our next truth:

--You're too sensitive. 
Sensitivity. It was an insult to me when I was a young one, starting out in this world and not moving as fast as everyone else. At recess, I regularly went to the same spot in the soccer field and drew things in the dirt (this actually explains a lot of things now). Besides the fact that my elementary school had two enormous trees that looked just like boobs which would explain my fascination with studying the nude, I was mostly alone. I never enjoyed the physical aspect of being young and free, but rather the endless time I had to study everything around me. Which means that I was called "too sensitive" a lot. I think I cried when another classmate said this to me on the playground; but he was right. The way that I see it, artists are observers. We look, and often stare, at everything around us, fascinated and inspired by the relationships between things. The way that a leaf vibrates intensely when a ladybug is crawling up it, and the same way that ladybug balances onto it with those tiny legs. The reflection of a neon light on an old woman's face as she waits for her Chinese food. Yes, staring intently at people and things can be weird to others, but I have chosen to embrace my sensitivity as an asset. This is one part of myself that I am proud will never change, and you should be too.

--No one's "better" than you.
This goes back to the third truth, "there is no right or wrong". As an amateur artist, I spend hours upon hours nightly researching different artists, their styles, their techniques, even the studios they work in. And it crushes me. Makes me feel like a ladybug on a leaf trying desperately to get to the top. These people surely must live in another world, I think to myself. Must have come out of the womb clutching a paintbrush and desperate to express themselves. Their masterful use of whatever medium they choose to use is awe inspiring and jaw dropping. But this also makes me want to work harder, do more, paint and paint and paint. They seem to be at a secret level, like one you could only reach through specific codes in SuperMario (which I never figured out). However this is a fallacy. An illusion. They ALL struggled at some point. Every one of them started off drawing stick figures as a toddler, maybe even an adult. I know that I have found what I want to do for the rest of my life because of them. Because when I look at what they've done, I am at once defeated but at the same time intensely energized and inspired.

--Bob Ross is my hero.
No, not because of his gorgeous afro, or the way that he cradles that wooden palette, but for his dedication to education. It can be hypnotizing to watch him twist his wrist and create an entire mountain in a couple of seconds, and as a child, I think that's exactly what you need to get excited about art. It needs to be a transcendent experience, something glorious, warm, enticing, comforting and endless. Ross, and the thousands of educators who teach art, bring it into communities, or promote it in any way, are a key element. They recognize the power of the creative spirit, and the fact that it absolutely needs to be nurtured in everyone. No matter what. Some may define art as two dimensional, or even three; sculpture, painting, drawing, etc. Yet this is wrong. At the risk of sounding hokey, art is everywhere and everything. You yourself are art. Everything you do and say is an expression of who you are. Putting that expression into a tangible form that other people can see is harder, but worthwhile.

--Ventilate (if you paint)
I believe I'm learning this the hard way, as I had an intense headache today, and yesterday. There are an insane amount of chemicals in the average "mineral spirit" that an oil painter uses to put paint to canvas. Turpentine especially is hideous. It smells awful, makes your studio smell like an experimental lab, and supposedly 90 percent of it evaporates off of the canvas and into the air in one hour. This is also why I stay up late at night researching...I would not like my obituary to state that I was a struggling artist who didn't know that you had to open a window or turn on a fan to get rid of the dangerous chemicals. Maybe this is why I have the sudden desire to paint in watercolors...significantly less bodily harm.

I hope that these snippets of truths and falsehoods inspired you, reader! I'm still new to this, and finding my way with every misstep, but I absolutely love every minute. Thanks for reading, and happy creating!

Penny