AN ARTIST'S DILEMMA - TO REPEAT OR TO CREATE
August, 2020
FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN THE KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN
If you signed up for my monthly newsletter, you will have received descriptions of exploratory methods of painting such as the use of a Styrofoam cup (What?). Yes, a Styrofoam cup in place of a brush for creating a painting.
“Growth comes with experimentation with new styles and fresh materials. Not only will you have fun, you’ll see breakthroughs no matter what style of painting you do.” – Karen Knudsen.
“Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.” - Edgar Degas.
Those quotations are wholly embraced in the work of experimental artists who dare to travel into unknown territory. Staying with a particular style just because it sells well or is easily repeated is no reason to repeat it endlessly. Dangerous financially? Sometimes, but not always. Staying engaged emotionally? No. When art becomes a chore rather than an exciting experience, the latter wins hands down.
Of course, experimentation often results in work that cannot be considered good enough for showing and selling. However, unsuccessful paintings are not failures – they are exercises in learning. Some parts of the experiment can often lead to freshness and dynamic additions to one’s usual technique and style.
Banff is an Alberta resort town that is popular with tourists. An artist who lived there years ago worked in a large warehouse studio. He would arrange about 15 - 20 canvases in a row. One can of paint at a time was used to apply to the same area of each canvas. (blue, blue, blue, etc., green, green, green, etc.). This mass production method worked from the sales standpoint since tourists eagerly bought the paintings that displayed the place they had visited. Was he financially successful? Yes. Boring? Yes. Was he being creative? No.
It is sometimes difficult to find a balance between what sells, and what allows creative growth. Some progressive potters mass produce mugs or other utilitarian items as “cash cows” but devote one or two days a week in creative play to explore new shapes and glazes that have been dancing in their heads while they were doing repetitive mass production work. Those potters become the innovators who introduced new and fresh designs and methods to otherwise mundane objects.
Below are two acrylic paintings done at the same location. The first was done in a traditional method with regular brushes. The second was an experiment using solely a sponge brush. Although both paintings sold, the second painting was much more fun to do.
You can see more examples of experimental paintings in my portfolio at: sitkastudios.faso.com
