For these reasons, I recently joined an artist's critique group. We meet once a month, informally at one of the group member's homes. Every month we meet in a different space, get to see that artist's studio, socialize over food and drinks and then spend time looking at and discussing new works in progress. Each artist's work that is brought to critique gets five sustained minutes of attention. It's short and yet enough to get a reaction from the group and feedback about its strengths and weaknesses. I am enjoying the process. It's actually the first time since taking college classes that I've been able to enjoy this kind of conversation in an organized session. I would encourage artists to join such a group or form one in your area. I'm finding it a positive presence in my artistic practice.
Once artists leave the formal halls of academia we often find ourselves working alone in our studios. Art can be a very solitary practice. One has to stay motivated to keep moving forward. It is easy to become stuck working in this type of vacuum. Worse yet you can get tunnel vision. I know sometimes I get so close to my work that I cannot see something that is right in front of me. A new set of eyes on your work can be a valuable thing.
For these reasons, I recently joined an artist's critique group. We meet once a month, informally at one of the group member's homes. Every month we meet in a different space, get to see that artist's studio, socialize over food and drinks and then spend time looking at and discussing new works in progress. Each artist's work that is brought to critique gets five sustained minutes of attention. It's short and yet enough to get a reaction from the group and feedback about its strengths and weaknesses. I am enjoying the process. It's actually the first time since taking college classes that I've been able to enjoy this kind of conversation in an organized session. I would encourage artists to join such a group or form one in your area. I'm finding it a positive presence in my artistic practice.
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This is the last week that you can see, Sticks and Stones and Bits of Bones at Mansfield University's Loomis Gallery, in Allen Hall. The exhibit comes down late Friday afternoon. This show of 25 recent pieces has been a wonderful opportunity. Allen Hall is located on Stadium Drive at the top of the Mansfield University Campus. It's a beautiful drive. See it now before it's all done.
Loomis Gallery, Allen Hall Mansfield University 135 Stadium Dr. Mansfield, PA There are just 14 days left to see Sticks and Stones and Bits of Bones at Mansfield University. Meanwhile in the studio I am going buggy! That's right, buggy! Insects, insects and more insects have invaded my studio. Fortunately they are specimen insects. I bought them from an insect shop in Canada. They are dried and preserved for scientific use. After spending a few weeks in customs they were deemed acceptable to be delivered and now they are sitting in my studio. I will admit it took me a couple of weeks to bring myself to open the containers and take a look. I'm not exactly a big fan of bugs but I must admit I've become quite comfortable with these specimen insects now that I am working with them. Insects are quite intricately detailed, colorful and really rather beautiful after one gets past the fact that they are bugs.
I have a variety of grasshoppers and beetles, a dragonfly and a caterpillar to work with. They are going to be larger than life and spectacular in color and detail. This is truly a project that is turning into way more fun than I had originally thought. So, be looking for bugs.... coming soon to a gallery near you :-) It's back to reality time for me. I love summer because it gives me an opportunity to be extra productive in my studio. I am a full-time artist but I'm also a full-time art educator. "Back to Reality" means that school is starting and I will have less time to be in my studio. The college course that I teach at Elmira College starts in exactly two hours and my public school job starts up again tomorrow. I do however, manage to fit studio time in every week. I have learned over the years that I have to make it a priority. I also keep my sketchbook handy so that when an idea crops up, I can record the idea and address it when I have time. Artist as time manager has made my studio practice successful. I work hard to keep myself on track.
Last week after my gallery opening for Sticks and Stones and Bits of Bones, I relaxed with a friend who is also an artist and is a retired art teacher. We compared notes about how to keep working when there are distractions and responsibilities that conflict with studio time. I shared that I make myself go into my studio and sit several times a week for a minimum of a half hour. I do this regardless of having something to work on or not. Once in a while I just sit there, do my time, and then go on about the rest of my life. In those cases it just gives me 30 minutes to reflect on possibilities for future work. Most of the time I find myself immediately pulled into a work, either in making the initial scans, building a model for a future scan, or correcting existing scans. There is usually something in progress that can be worked on and the half hour usually grows into several hours. I often get lost in the time. The main thing is that I put myself in the studio. Whether of not I'm productive depends, but the first step is always showing up. One of my favorite painters is Chuck Close and I think he sums it up best. "The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case." - Chuck Close Chuck is right. Inspiration or not, I will keeping working. What do you do to stay on track? |
AuthorDebb VanDelinder is an artist working in Scanography (scanner photography) Archives
February 2024
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