And The Sunset Was Orange And Yellow...

…if all your artwork compositions have perfect balance but your checkbook does not.

…if you get so involved in working on your artwork that you forget to eat.

…if it takes half an hour to describe the sunset you saw today.

…if your blue jeans are every color but blue.

…if you can’t find your car keys but you know exactly where your tube of cadmium red is out of hundreds of colors.

…if your camera is permanently attached to your face.

…if you think junk yards are beautiful.

…if your favorite color is unpronounceable.

…if you’ve told at least one art gallery what they can do with their 50 percent commission.

…if you bleed paint.

…if you think most art galleries are a joke.

…if you feel blessed for having talent.

…if you shop for art supplies in trash dumpsters.

…if you live out of your car and still manage to create art.

…if you haven’t showered or bathed in three days.

…if happiness is getting new art supplies.

…if you have an artistic license.

…if nobody understands what it is you do.

…if you use your paint brush more than your toothbrush.

…if your jewelry is encrusted with ancient paint.

…if you just start to hit your stride at 12:00am.

…if you love the smell of turpentine and varnish.

…if people cross the street when they see you coming.

…if you’re broke and happy.

…if you dream in sepia tone.

…if your best meals come from art gallery receptions.

…if you can’t do math.

…if your worst critic is yourself.

…if pricing your artwork stresses you out.

…if you see the beauty in things that others do not.

…if you’re a dreamer.

…if your studio is so full of ”art supplies” that there is only a narrow trail for which to walk.

…if most of your knives, forks and spoons have become art making tools.

…if the shirt you’re wearing has become the paint wipe-off rag.

…if you still love the smell of traditional photographic film developing chemicals.

…if you save food containers to mix paint in.

…if your cat and dog have accidental paint splatters on them.

…if five hours of time spent working on art seems only like an hour.

…if you have more ideas for artworks than time will alllow.

…if your studio is your favorite place to be.

…if the art supply store clerks know you by name.

…if you don’t need to wear no stinkin’ 3D glasses.

…if you don’t know the meaning of ”savings account”.

…if your hair color is by Winsor & Newton, Old Holland or Golden.

…if your fingers are glued together.

…if most of your clothes have paint on them.

…if Crayons hold a deeper meaning for you.

You Know You’re An Artist… is a list of truisms of the wonderful world of the odd species know as the Artist.  This list will grow as I discover more characteristics of Artists over time.

...In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

…art will be taught in grade school again.

…life will imitate art.

…artists won’t be depicted in the movies as drunks, druggies and weirdo’s.

…artists living in America will be able to support themselves with their art only and will not need a “day job”.

…the general public will buy real, handmade and original artist created art and not big store or “mall” art.

…artists will not be starving.

…art schools will be grounded in reality.

…the general public will buy art for its meaning and emotion and not because it matches the sofa.

…the “Art World” will drop its self destructive, snobby-ness ways.

…artists will discover there are other colors of clothing to wear besides black.

…an artist won’t have to be dead to be famous.

…the “Art World” will be able to see the humor in itself.

…the idea of the reclusive artist will become the myth it is.

…an artist will be president.

…art gallery employees will acknowledge visitors when they walk in the door.

…artists will have more influence than politicians.

…there will be unique, artist made works of art in your home.

…painting will stop being labeled as ‘dead’.

…art critics will be required to be licensed and bonded.

…computer generated artwork will hang on museum walls next to Picasso and Monet paintings.

…the art you create will be on the covers of art magazines.

…the art you create will be in art history books.

…art and artists won’t need funding.

…there won’t be a need for critics…oh, wait…

Someday… is a list of musings, thoughts, dreams, comments and observations that are at times intended to be humorous and at other times serious.  Many of these made their first appearance as tweets on my Twitter page.  This list will expand…someday.

Fear Not The Pencil

How many times in a conversation about artistic talent or creativity have you heard someone say, “I can’t even draw a straight line”?  Maybe you’ve even said it yourself.

It often appears that the majority of people associate drawing as the yardstick of measure on whether one is creative or has artistic talent.

So it needs to be said right here, right now that there are many artists, including successful professionals, that can’t draw a straight line to save their life.  And that’s ok.  And likewise it’s ok for you too.

So now that the drawing misconception and consequential mental roadblock has quickly fallen to the wayside, the path is wide open to discover which artistic medium will bring you joy and satisfaction.  The list of the things that one can do is long and varied so it’s a matter of trying different things and finding the perfect one for yourself.  Discovery is half the fun.

To help get the creative journey rolling, here is a partial list of mediums and artistic endeavors that may bring out the repressed artist in you or someone you love: photography, jewelry/beading, working with clay, woodcarving, various paint mediums such as watercolors, sewing, candle/soap making and collage.  Be sure to try both two-dimensional and three-dimensional medium types, as one may come more naturally and be more enjoyable to you.

Your local bookseller or library is a great place to get ideas and community colleges often offer classes in various mediums.  Everybody can be creative and enjoy making something with their own hands and a little imagination.  Some find it to be painting while others photography.  It is waiting to be discovered in all of us.

Often times I’ll use this concept with my photographs.  I’ll look through my photography files on the computer and quickly pick out an image that doesn’t necessarily strike me as having potential for a finished “work of art”.  And then using Photoshop, I’ll just start experimenting with settings, filters and the various sliders and buttons to see what will happen to the image.  The majority of the time I have no idea what kind of effect these things will have on my image.  This is in large part to the fact that I am no Photoshop expert.  So I am just trying things out, having fun and learning along the way.

It’s all about experimentation and enjoying the moment as it happens.  I always come away with new things learned and sometimes a new piece of artwork at the end.

Below is an example of a Free Form Creativity session where I quickly picked out a relatively unremarkable photograph I had taken.  The photo was taken on a day of photographing crows for a future project and was never intended to be a finished photograph or work of art on its own.  But after around an hour of Photoshop fun, it became something unexpected.

The Original Photograph

The End Result, Entitled "Rising Sun"