Extra time and thought was invested in the 15th Studio Practice: New Works posting. It showcases tributes to a few of the artists who died in 2021. As I worked on the art it impressed me to make something each of them might’ve enjoyed.
Some of the responses I got to the February 15th post highlighted for me how the creative process is sustained by a willingness to jump into unknowns. The feeling is that I do not know what I’m doing. The knowing is that I have to do it. Meanwhile, I was also applying for a grant. That is always an intense, if not nerve-wracking, process for me.
As part of the result of that grant application, here is my most recent Artist Statement—an essay telling why I do what I do that also sort of clarifies why I’m not doing something else.
“My work presents an attitude: thoughts and perceptions from my own mind or others’ that insist on becoming visual. By nature it’s abstract. Reflecting my experience, appreciation, delights, intentions and passion is essential to communicating in art. The overall intent is to engage viewers towards a deeper appreciation of visual cues, allowing personal internal scrutiny, inspiration, escape, entertainment or release.
The media I choose for the 2D work is primarily fixed by the idea or statement I’m expressing. It’s secondarily fixed by the mark I want to make. Media ranges from graphite to acrylic paint and ink, with contributions from colored pencil, pigment marker, watercolor, and gel and Micron pen. Paper can be any archival/non-acidic brand, though I’ve settled on Arches because it accepts layered pigments, erasures and change without injury. I use gessoed canvas too.
Since my first encounter with a crayon, art expression has shifted from focused play (into shape, line, form, texture, color, composition) to reflect personal values or philosophy. Essentially this rests on the belief that we can, and need to, evolve to a state of enhanced consideration for all things, allowing and accepting benign societal differences without the need for battle or crisis. Each of my artworks offers an invitation.
Published and online works are a consistent source of inspiration, especially with social interactions limited by the pandemic. Excess death is in the news daily. Last December I began a Death Series to honor a few of the artists who left us in 2021. In developing this series I found the need to express the tribute much as the artist might have appreciated. It’s been challenging to jump into various public life figures (and deaths) with respect for each one’s three-dimensional life.”
Some of the responses I got to the February 15th post highlighted for me how the creative process is sustained by a willingness to jump into unknowns. The feeling is that I do not know what I’m doing. The knowing is that I have to do it. Meanwhile, I was also applying for a grant. That is always an intense, if not nerve-wracking, process for me.
As part of the result of that grant application, here is my most recent Artist Statement—an essay telling why I do what I do that also sort of clarifies why I’m not doing something else.
“My work presents an attitude: thoughts and perceptions from my own mind or others’ that insist on becoming visual. By nature it’s abstract. Reflecting my experience, appreciation, delights, intentions and passion is essential to communicating in art. The overall intent is to engage viewers towards a deeper appreciation of visual cues, allowing personal internal scrutiny, inspiration, escape, entertainment or release.
The media I choose for the 2D work is primarily fixed by the idea or statement I’m expressing. It’s secondarily fixed by the mark I want to make. Media ranges from graphite to acrylic paint and ink, with contributions from colored pencil, pigment marker, watercolor, and gel and Micron pen. Paper can be any archival/non-acidic brand, though I’ve settled on Arches because it accepts layered pigments, erasures and change without injury. I use gessoed canvas too.
Since my first encounter with a crayon, art expression has shifted from focused play (into shape, line, form, texture, color, composition) to reflect personal values or philosophy. Essentially this rests on the belief that we can, and need to, evolve to a state of enhanced consideration for all things, allowing and accepting benign societal differences without the need for battle or crisis. Each of my artworks offers an invitation.
Published and online works are a consistent source of inspiration, especially with social interactions limited by the pandemic. Excess death is in the news daily. Last December I began a Death Series to honor a few of the artists who left us in 2021. In developing this series I found the need to express the tribute much as the artist might have appreciated. It’s been challenging to jump into various public life figures (and deaths) with respect for each one’s three-dimensional life.”