Sunday, May 4, 2014

answers with consequences


Self portrait with a mirror i've been working on this week.  Dunno it it's done.  I'm thinking i'm going to render the face more for volume.


Why academic training is so important to me?
Because a backbone is important in everything you do.  I believe that there is a reason for everything, and every mark placed on a painting should have reason (more then just a visceral response).

 I want my artwork to produce the same effect on others as great artwork produces on me.  I'm a sucker for knowledge and the great accomplishments of our species.  There is an incredible sense of awe as i study the 'old masters' and some contemporary artists and realize alot of these guys have taken nothing for granted from concept to application.  It's mindblowing; language, structure, anatomy, color, composition, design, values, shapes, the more you know the more you see and the more you feel perfection, the more your interaction with artwork becomes a religious experience.  Not only do they speak in a language which is timeless but it is also incredible aesthetically.  They connect to human condition and emotions, historical or personal experiences which can sometimes be surprising or they can illustrate an incredibly complex story, beginning middle and end in one painting while maintaining a severe emotional impact.  It's more then just artwork, it's the immortalitiy of the human psyche, our need to connect, share and learn what we define as 'life' in this world.  It's depth, beauty and honesty at its apex.  It's more then just the idea, it's admiration and accomplishment layer after layer after layer.  I'll indulge in my vent and mention i love it when i'm studying a work of art and i notice subtleties, rich and meaningful, or when there is an almost invisible detail which shows how perfectly the artist has mastered his craft, or a simplification of the  complex into something simple and elegant.  After experiencing art, how could one not feel the need to create, and experience your own art.

I need to learn the academic principles so i can begin to focus on creating. I love the process of knowing the guidelines and making educated decisions to fit my aesthetic and idea.  The process is incredible.

After the rigorous self portrait week i needed to unwind, so yesterday I painted a quick still life.  It was fun.

another god awful attempt at plein air.  True these are quick (1hr)... but man do i suck at these.  I love it, so i'll get better..  this is that very awkward moment.
      

morning sketches
Every morning i make an effort to read a little bit (i just finished The Hobbit, again... big Tolkien fan, and  have now started reading 'Entropy and Art' by Arnheim)  and do what's called 'morning sketches'.  Most of the time they are compositional studies, little thumbnails expressing my thoughts.  I also do little head studies or others or the sort.  I take photos of people i come across and know and draw them.  I've started collecting photos of those whom i've met around me.  I love looking at people and studying their features, bone structure and personality traits.  It brings such richness to art when you're working with something real, there is a magic and excitement in the translation.


Downsizing
i'm downsizing.  I'm taking photos of old sketches/sketchbooks and feeding them to recycle.  That guy grows sideways this week.


Abroad
So i'm leaving in less then two weeks.   Abit stressful yes, but exciting.  I'll be visiting Italy and the museums in Paris and hopefully, Russia, for at least a month of intense art education. To be perfectly frank today i received some news which completely changes my plans, so i'm not sure where i'll be going.  We'll see how things roll out. The reason want to study at the Repin Academy, at least for a month in the summer is because, it's Russia and you need  a visa and they have some incredible artists and teachers there.  Not only that, i'll be studying art, portrait and figure in an academic setting day and night for a whole month.  That's incredible.   I'll be painting and drawing everyday regardless.  Up in the air.  I don't know the languages well so this is me; smile, draw, smile, paint, eat, smile, draw. (and no purse left behind, or open)

Professional vs. Student; bloody it up.
I need to be a young professional fine artist to survive and i need to be a student to continue to progress as an artist so i can become more consistent, confident, efficient and intelligent in the production of my artwork. Only two of the many balls necessary to juggle as the choice of becoming a fine artist takes over all of life.
20"x16"... again... not sure if it's done and the image i'm seeing appears alot different then what i saved it as. So if i decide it's done i'll post it on Facebook and my webpage and hopefully it'll look right.

cool podcasts this week;
http://www.missedinhistory.com/
http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/301821915/how-we-love