Lessons learned…

In mid-October, I took a class at the Sitka Institute for Art and Ecology. I had taken a previous class there with really fantastic results and I was looking forward to this one. At this time,I was also coming from, marrying my youngest off the day before so my emotions were in a tizzy. I loaded up my car and drove my way to the beach to do art for 5 days and to have “me” time.

In my former life I was an educator, for 38+ years, all levels and types (general ed to special ed to alternative ed) - so I had lots of experience working with other professionals and students. I’ll say it right out, art and teaching is nebulous. It’s always changing, sometimes you get on with the person, sometimes you don’t AND sometimes people just don’t click.

Did I learn anything from this experience? Yes. Was it pleasant? No. Was it enlightening? Possibly.

What I figured out from this, was something I learned through experience, is to make sure everyone has the same vocabulary and background knowledge at the onset. Also, even if I don’t click with someone doesn’t mean that I can’t learn from them.

I’m a self taught artist. I’ve been drawing / painting since I was a toddler. I’ve taken a few classes here and there, learned from them and moved on. I’m like a lot of people, YouTube - has been a game changer in working towards vocabulary specifically and background knowledge. But, I’ve always enjoyed learning. What I didn’t enjoy during this class was the fact that I didn’t have the vocabulary to support the background knowledge that I had. I also didn’t enjoy the implied comments of “how I should know this”, when I did but didn’t know the vocabulary. I also didn’t enjoy the feeling of being inept or not “good enough” or “you're doing it wrong” or “you don’t have the right kind of colors to work with”. Ugh!

I knew techniques through trial and error but did not know what the technical terms were. I knew the painting effects, again through trial and error, but I did not know the terms.

When I did paint, it was an image of a sunset that I had taken the day before. I really didn’t have anything specific to work on and I really liked the effect of the lights and darks of the water, sky, clouds and sun peaking through. I wanted that erytheral look of the sun coming through, hitting the water, seeing the turbulent ocean crashing on the shore.

So I started. This piece became the bane of my existence. I started it multiple times, trying to get the effects that I wanted, and nope. I had even scraped it off a couple of times, got a new canvas and started over again. I’d get to a point where I could use a little suggestion, the suggestion would frustrate me because I thought that was what I was doing - and no. I hated it. I’m still not excited about it, but that doesn’t mean that I will not finish it. But I also look at this as an opportunity to work through my frustrations and have a nice piece come out of it.

From Adversity, Great Things can be Created

I’ve been ruminating on a series of abstract pieces that connect with my female side/ legacy. How can I show my ancestors, self and feminine heirs? They’ve been rolling around in my mind for some time now and I had some events happen to me that precipitated them in “getting out”. This is where the adversity comes…

I have a weekly class that I go to where I work on oil painting. It’s been decades since I’ve oil painted consistently, it’s been fun and enlightening for me to just play, create, explore this medium.

On my way to class, I was going down Burnside and all of the sudden, I get rear ended! I’m just a few blocks away from class and I’m pissed. I get out of my car and yell, “F&@k!” I walk back and fortunately, there was no damage to my car!?! But the young woman who hit me was so apologetic and her car took quite a beating. She kept saying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was talking to my friend and…” I looked at her and said, “Oh! Your car looks bad” She replied, “It’s okay, my ex husband gave me this car and I’m driving it till it dies” Then she says, “I’m really sorry and hope this doesn’t ruin your day!”

I drive on to class and take a deep breath and realize, I’m okay, let’s go have some studio paint time. I had brought two canvases with me and I just needed to do something that will help get all the adrenaline out of me and settle me down. I began to paint. I wanted something that is sensuous, feminine, flowy and gives a sense of legacy. Or the impression of going on and on - legacy.

I love how the painting was coming together - the paint coming off the brush - the color - purple, my favorite, that has hints of blue purple and red purple. As I was painting, it gave me a sense of calmness and contentment. I also felt that I will be painting others like it with different colors, because we all represent different colors and that it could be a wonderful series of paintings.

I posted a quick shot of the painting on Instagram and Facebook and forgot about it.

That painting sold within a few hours and I could have sold it a couple more times.

I have started the series, it’s the same concept but in different colors… I’m so enjoying this.

So from adversity, cool things, beautiful things, can happen.

Preparations

Preparations can mean a multitude of things, but quite simply it means “Getting ready to…”. We get ready for shopping, cleaning the house, to paint, to sew, to pull weeds, to pack for a trip, to pack for a show, the list can be endless. I’ve been preparing for The Multnomah Days Festival/Fair for a few weeks. And we are down to the last bits of preparation.

When one is getting ready, there are many things to be considered. It needs to be done on a couple levels - emotionally and physically.

Emotionally

What pieces do I include in my show? Do I want a theme or should it be the most current pieces? What kind of price points do I want to include? Do I really want to put this piece up for sale??? All of these questions have an emotional attachment to them. I think about what I was doing when I created it, how it viscerally made me feel, did I have a “Oh! Wow!”, Am I Ready to Let it Go? Talking to the public and trying to sound intelligent.

Physically

One has to gear up sometimes to meet with the public. In this time of COVID, there are also safety precautions to take - wear a mask, have sanitizer & gloves ready. Be ready to talk about specific pieces of art - What was my purpose? How did I decide to paint that particular piece? How do I infuse my work with the passion it shows?

The set up and take down of a show is physically demanding - tent, tables, display grids, artwork - make it appealing to the folk you want to entice.

Both

Lastly, the courage to put yourself out there. You are awesome in that you have done this. Art is personal and when you're in a public situation - take all of the comments as you get them. Enjoy the folks you come in contact with.