It is every artist's dream to find a style that they enjoy and a medium that they can flourish in, especially if they can find success with it. And so, for the last few years I have been on a quest to understand myself and my style, attempting different approaches to producing artwork and becoming so associated with different techniques that I can just simply say, "I like this approach. I don't like that approach." I'm the kind of person that tries to (and generally succeeds in) finding the beauty in almost everything, so I end up liking all types of art styles and artists. While many people can say, "I love abstract expressionism and I despise Caravaggio and Rembrandt," or visa versa, I end up loving it all. So, it continues to be quite a process in determining what styles I wish to pursue.
Pollock! Wild!
Caravaggio! Daunting!
Many times I really just prefer the quickest solution to describe a vision, so I end up with a sketch of some sort, or an impressionistic scene. Other times I like to revel in the details and take as much time as I can in exploring the ins and outs of what I am attempting to represent. So, I end up confused as to which direction I should go in. I like the idea of sketches and impressions, because that is usually what we end up encountering in the real world, plus it is the fastest way from the brain to the paper or canvas, which may end up giving a peek into the artist's mind. Other times I think a lengthy study is quite impressive because of the devotion to the subject that is required and the amount of skill in the artist's eye and hand that is needed to achieve such detail.
Winslow Homer! So Simple!
Durer! So Much Work!
I have the longest history of working with pencil, since that's all I used as a kid (besides crayons and markers), but I can't stand the amount of work that goes into graphite drawings, especially when most graphite works just remind me of those books with pencil drawings that used to get me carsick. I much prefer straight-up ballpoint pen action. It has a nice flow to it.
Graphite! This looks about as fun as stabbing myself with a pencil! Carsick! Barf!
But I prefer charcoal to both. I've been working with charcoal since 2003 and I'm pretty comfortable with it by now. There's a nice balance of messy and detailed in charcoal that I struggle to get with other mediums. In fact, just writing about working with charcoal makes me want to draw right now. My problem is that charcoal doesn't really work as a great medium for things other than still-lifes and portraits or figure drawings. I can't afford a model and I've drawn myself about a million times now, plus I can't set up a decent still-life. Well, maybe I'm just lazy. (The rest of these images are my own)
Charcoal! Pretty Fun!
For the past three years or so, I've been dabbling in oils. There are many things that I enjoy about oil paint. It's flexible, like charcoal, it's strong in color and substance, and it just has a nice glow to it that other mediums don't have. Plus it is forgiving in many ways. The thing I hate about oils is the glazing aspect of it. It can just be a little too complex for me, so I prefer to just pile paint on top of paint. Lately I've really been digging painting with a palette knife.
Glazing! Not that fun! Looks cool though!
Heavy Paint! Fun!
And just recently I've been attempting watercolors. I'm in awe of Winslow Homer's watercolors. The man knew how to use them, although I've read that he struggled with them for years before he became comfortable with them. I've also read that he (along with Edward Hopper, another favorite, and self-made artist) struggled in all aspects of art until his mid-forties, when he really started to get a grasp on it all. That is both very inspirational and incredibly daunting. These are men that had incredible skills in terms of color choice and composition, and it seems that they really were 'skills'. By that I mean that they worked and worked and worked at them over years and years of practice to earn their talent and recognition. That is something that sounds very fun and very boring to me, if that makes sense. I'm part of the "right now!" generation, but I also esteem work quite highly, because it is truly respectable when someone sacrifices so much for their goals. Anyway, I suck at watercolors. This is a painting I did this morning at Golden Gardens.
Watercolor! Freaking Difficult!
I'm going to go there a few times a week and just paint and draw, I think. It felt good to enjoy nature this morning.
Hopefully this process of learning and growing and practicing will pay off (as I'm sure it will, because it already has). Here goes nothing.
I like this struggle that you're going through. You seem very self-aware and open-minded to so many techniques.
ReplyDeleteWinslow Homer is one of my faves, I think because of the way he played with perspective in the scenes he painted. I like Andrew Wyeth for the same reason.
I've never used oils... I've never had the opportunity and they seem so complicated! Maybe someday... But I think you did a great job with your Golden Gardens watercolor! For some reason I loooove working with watercolor. Keep it up!