Art Demos and Moving onward.

Set up at Framed on Fifth Gallery for a fun Artistic demonstration. This is halfway through before I destroyed the image.

Recently I did a paint demo for Framed on Fifth.  Hannah is lovely, accommodating and the demonstration went well.  Those in attendance asked wonderful, thoughtful questions. The feedback was excellent with comments like, “You should find a way to do this more. It was entertaining and informative.  Maybe an event with wine….” Now doesn’t that sound like fun.

I used to do a lot of demonstrations like this.

It is fantastic to watch another person paint. You see them make decisions you wouldn’t make. A lot of times I learn more by watching, it is a window into their process. This is fantastic.

What isn’t fantastic is within a small amount of time you are expected to have a finished product. As a result, many artists create a little painting project they can demo. It is practised, so that they can pull it off in the given timeframe. It’s like a little horse and pony show. However, as this isn’t how artists work in their studios, it gives beginners a false sense of creativity and how to approach work.

The best demo I saw was Quang Ho at the Plein Air Conference and Expo hosted by Eric Rhoads. He had two hours. The first hour he shared a visual slide show about Picasso, Van Gogh, microscopic bits of sand and the galaxy.  It sounds random, doesn’t it?  Bringing it together he starts painting and talking about his philosophy of life.  At one point, looking around for a makeshift tool he is dragging another panel through his work. The surprised audience’s ohhs turned into murmurs of awe.  It wasn’t a finished piece of art, but rather a teaching tool to help us see his process.  The end piece was more about process than product, a little peep into what his thoughts about painting were.

After seeing that demonstration I decided to be honest in mine.  Not everything turns out.  It is part of the creative process to have a few duds. It is okay to be uncertain where the work is going. That feeling is part of creative process. If you embrace it, you can achieve great things. I started bringing in work that was partly done to show what an hour or two on a painting looks like. I do a lot of composition, decomposition then re-composition in my work. That means I work in layers. Nothing is too precious; I will use a glaze to partially fog and reset the piece. At another demo I showed how a glaze is helpful in staging this reset. That didn’t go over well. One of the organizers of the group asked, “What is the point of this anyways?”

The point has to do with creativity. Everyone wants to be creative. But true creativity means that you take risks. That means that it might not work out.  By not taking that risk you end up with predictable work that looks like everyone else’s painting. Or they become tight and illustrative, and you get bored.

I see a lot of emphasis placed on product. People want to create a painting that sells.  They want to learn the secrets. They think their paintings will improve if only they knew those secrets.  

The fact is that you improve your work by doing more work and taking risks. I had a fantastic young painter in my class set goals like, “I’m going to paint things I think are hard”. “This session I am going to paint shiny things.”  Or “I’m painting figurative work next.” This is the only way to grow. Try painting things that scare you. Try not to worry about failing.

Neil Gaimon, one of my favourite authors, has a lot to say about failing.

“I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you make mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.”

“Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.”

“So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.”

True confessions, it has been a struggle lately.  I am in a transition zone.  I wonder what the next step will be.   I am discouraged.

 That’s when I pull out the Neil Gaimon.  

My husband also found an essay by Martha Graham to Agnes De Mille that is helpful so I’ll share it here. 

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time. This expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.

No artist is pleased…there is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction. A blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

 So I hope that you and I are out there making mistakes, keep alive. Good luck!