Dialogue & Art

   
Discovering yourself through art.......

   Recently while painting some "abstract explorations" I heard an enormous amount of internal dialogue going on that I hadn't heard before.........some of this will sound a bit.....crazy, and I don't take it to seriously myself.

    This isn't some poltergeist sort of thing occurring and my mind wasn't taken over by aliens nor was I using mind altering substances.....though, that might be of help in my explorations into the abstract realms of painting. When in the creative sphere whether writing, doing visual art or designing homes I always have a sort of positive inner guide, the quite voice that helps me to make decisions, what colors and content is best, etc., but the very small voice in the back of this voice is what I heard while doing the abstracts. It is not the voice of the muse, nor the reflections of academia or anything that I can recall being fed into my brain, though of course somewhere along the path of life I may have encountered it and completely forgotten the makings of it.

    Most of the time  I do figurative or semi-figurative work, take a lot of time to do them, exercise a
great amount of detail and am unable to leave white space. The abstract explorations are quite unlike the previously mentioned, taking little time, very loose, little detail and a lot of white space. I'm forcing myself to go outside my comfort zone, to broaden my artistic horizons mostly because I've been experiencing an "artist block" for some time now and desperately wanted a breakthrough of some sort.

   For some reason, while doing these abstract explorations the little voice in back of the little voice is telling me, "what I'm doing is wrong, inconsequential, I should take more time to complete them, there is no detail and this makes the work worthless, why am I leaving so much white space and why am I not doing more conceptual work that would mean something, and on it goes". Good grief!!!! I'm curious to know if other artist have experienced these sorts of inner commentary.

   What's funny about all of this to me is the contrast of having an enormous amount of fun and freedom while hearing a very derogatory and critical inner voice....the voice behind the inner voice. My general day to day inner dialogue is quite positive and I enjoy life a great deal, yet here is this mini voice ranting and raving negative about something I'm having fun doing. Maybe some art psychoanalyst could explain all this to me and tell me what I already know such as, I'm simply crazy and maybe I should do some art therapy. Anyway, I would love to hear from other artist artist on this topic.

Scratcher Thoughts

 

Scratcher

I still like to make marks

like the fur weavers of Lascaux

Scratching a patch of hard rock

or coloring with ochre

I'm not a hunter, but......

sighting beauty aim with barb

Every mark and stroke

paid attention like G-d

This path chosen?

To scrawl and scratch

conjuring the unseen magic

Manifesting desire invisible

imitating ancestors drive

Leaving mark like dog

on fire hydrant.....

My saber tooth calls for knowing

somehow remembered, though.....

Scarcely can I say why

               William Rossoto 4/25/13

Working in the studio today on a new abstract series....more explorations than anything serious. I use the word serious because it is quite the opposite of what I'm experiencing as I do these explorations. I'm having so much fun I'm thinking that this couldn't be serious art.....whatever that is. So much of the time I carry with me the belief (how ever erroneous it may be) that a work of art can not be simple, that it requires enormous effort and if it does not then I haven't made something worthwhile....does anyone else feel the same way. Well, silly musings for the day........

Explorations & Meanings

This article is on the absurd musings of a self absorbed artist (me momentarily) in search of the unknown, a sort of holy grail quest, though certainly not as profound as finally finding the philosophers sword......or was that the philosophers stone.........  Maybe some of you have gone through the following process of thought.

Starting a new series of art work is always a challenge, the contrasting elements of academia, intuition, preconceptions and a willingness to explore the hidden realms are often overwhelming for me. In this case I'm leaving years of figurative drawing & painting in the wind and proceeding with the amorphous and ambiguous nature of abstraction. I find abstract work to be much more difficult and am trying to find a way to define my concept in a set of constructs that will communicate something of value to the viewer. When dealing with figurative art there is always the associative thread of physical reality the viewer can correspond with, and even if the work is of little conceptual value there is still something easily associated with. When dealing in the abstract realms it is like trying to explain what another planet looks and feels like without the viewer having ever been there or having seen it.

A better question to ask in all of this is, "does it matter if abstract art means anything other than a pure & true expression of the artist?" If one paints from their heart & soul is that not enough, does everything need a justifiable and intellectual reason for creation as though to substantiate the artist virility, intelligence or purpose, or the viewers reason to look at the art? Is decorative art shallow and lacking in substance? Maybe all art is simply decorative and as artist we create stories about our art to satisfy academia, intellectuals and the audience hungry for a story of interest and entertainment value. I know this isn't really true, but I do ponder what the value all of that academia training tries to inundate us with.

A few of my main premises in all that I create are:
1) Will the viewer be elevated in some way?
2) Will it allow the viewer to dream and explore new emotional or intellectual territory?
3) Does it inform the viewer in some way?
4) Am I communicating what I intended through the medium of art?
5) And lots of other questions........
I should say that these questions arise only when completely lucid, not in the act of creating.......

The main question on my mind about creating this abstract series is, can I start without a concept and work towards one? When starting with a concept, a vision, a reason to proceed and of course passion, there is still an exploration of the infinite within any given subject matter which can take years to explore and define in way that will ultimately convey what I had in mind. If I start with no concept it seems improbable that as an artist anything of value might be produced other than a possible hit and miss sort of progression.

I have so many questions about what I'm exploring right now that it seems the only thing I can do is to move forward and create work or sit still and think about it, neither of which may be of much worthy fruition. After years of working in the figurative realm I am somewhat fearful of venturing into a realm of art that may simply end up a mess, or of course I might surprise myself and end up with a series of work that has some aesthetic and conceptual value......who knows? By the way, I have also ended up with a mess even in creating figurative art, but not too often.

Well, my friends I'm on a quest to search for my own truth, one that will honestly communicate without the interference of academia, mental projections of perceived audience, fearless planting of paint on canvas and paper to hopefully express my given potential, whatever that may be...........

The Writing of Art

Art can propel you to think and reflect, to draw upon associated memories and elicit responses of humor, horror or invite mythological imagery, associate pictorial memories or simply  to find a place of peace and relaxation, but generally one does not see a story directly produced in their mind in response to visual art. Let's see if this premise holds true when examined in context to the creator of art and writing and that of the observer.

 

Do art and writing have anything in common with each other? The written word generally creates a picture in ones mind almost automatically, but can visual art directly elicit the creation of a story or a poem in an instantaneous way (like seeing the words in your mind)? Visual art can inspire one to write commentary about the art such as the aesthetics, conceptual and or historical context, but when it comes to a direct translation of visual art forming words in ones mind it seems quite a distant possibility unlike the written word automatically creating a picture in your mind, though some people may access this differently.

I've had this quandary many times about the response of the reader and that of the viewer of visual art. I create visual art and I also write poetry and short stories and have wanted to understand if there are similarities in response to either mediums as well as to question if my mind works the same way in the creation both writing and art.

A bit of my history. Upon furthering my intention to be a visual artist I set upon the academic route and attained a BFA in painting while also managing to take a few courses in writing and poetry. I am quite confident of my skills as a visual artist and have no trouble doing shows and commissions, but I tend to think of myself as a "folk writer" such as are non-academically trained artist being referred to as "folk artist". As a writer I tend to have a certain disdain for all the rules of writing and pay very little attention to Strunk and White as well as any other "supposed to do things" in the world of writing including punctuation. After thirty years of writing short stories and poetry I finally decided to bypass my fears about publishing my work and created a book of my poetry and art called, "Moments Without Time". Fortunately I have many friends that have given me positive feedback regardless of what they may really think about my poetry, and so I continue to write and contemplate what I want to do for my next book. Have no fear, there a point to made here as I wax on my insecurities about writing.

There is something about writing that I find considerably more personal and revealing about my mental and spiritual interiors than that of my visual art when presented to the general public. I can always make up a story in the aftermath of creating a work of art, a justification, making it allegorical or not, autobiographical, or purely meaningless dribble, etc., but with a poem or a short story the reader is always directly inserted into the interpretation, crawling into my printed words, creating pictures from the words, stripping me naked with every sentence read. With writing I feel vulnerable and unable to defend myself, maybe because I don't feel qualified to be writing words on a page for all to see, or maybe because writing is simply a more intimate medium than visual art, or maybe because I feel substantiated by the societal right of passage called a college degree that I have in art, but not in writing. Regardless, the creation of art and writing does have some similar and dissimilar qualities, for me each one does influence the other to some extent.  Most often I think in pictures when I write or do art, conjuring up memories or making up new mental images and concepts, but I don't generally translate a set of written words into a work of visual art. When writing I use both picture memory and word concepts to create, and I feel more like a scribe taking notation than being the originator of a poem or short story. Both mediums encompass listening to my muse and working intuitively, but I don't paint the words I hear when painting, the words are simply directing me as to color, composition, contrast, etc., a sort of complimentary set of verbal cues from my academically trained mind and my muse. Maybe this cutting a fine line between the two processes, but I see them as quite a distance apart. Onward to the point of this article.

Everyone's creative process is different, but we arrive at the same place in a work of art or a work of the written word, the finished product. What the observer or reader feels and interprets from a work of art or a piece of writing is generally as varied as the creators process of the work, and the way someone's mind functions in the process of interpretation can be verbal or imagery based. I am curious to know what your perspective and process of creation is in art and or writing.

Contemplations on Art

Art has simply become too serious of a subject matter! When did the joy and laughter of creating art take a stage right, behind the facade of intellectualism? I mean the ultimate goal of art is the act of the creation itself, to be in union with the subtle energy of all creation, and to share that creation with other people as an expression of humanity. How did it become so over intellectualized, and who thought it was so important to exercise the ego in writing articles on art that most people can't comprehend? Is art supposed to be an elitist activity enjoyed by but a few that might grasp it's full intention? So many questions I have circulating through this over indulgent art centered cortex, many of which I will try to give some semblance of an answer to in this abbreviated text that some may consider to pass for writing.

Recently brought to mind by a friend was the following inquiry. He asked what it is that drives me to do a series of work versus creating single art works based upon immediate impressions of life (that's the simplified version). This put me in a bit of a tailspin for a time, as I hadn't truly contemplated why I did a series, I just know that's what I do. After a few hours of intense and almost painful introspection I came to the conclusion that there seems to be two central thoughts about the creation of art. The first, that there is value in developing a series of work over an extended period of time. The second, creating art on a more immediate experiential level of being is more honest and truthful form of creation negating the ego structures of a long term goal. Naturally, this may sound dualistic and possibly simplistic in the approach to the conceptual aspect of creating art and of the individual artist, but here's my take on it. Oh my, this is simply getting too serious and full of erroneous information!

If you went to art school at a college, the probability is that you create art in a series over an extended period of time devoted to one subject category  because that is what you were taught to do. We were ingrained with the idea that developing a series artwork is about the fullest exploration of whatever subject matter we chose and that  to endeavor over an extended period of time would create depth, truth, and understanding of ourselves that would not have evolved otherwise, of which will be apparent in the artwork. Not only that, but you would hone your skills, your craft would improve, you essentially would be illuminated somewhere along the route of extended "doingness". The equation being something like; endurance + time + exploration in a singular study of one subject matter = depth + true artistry + understanding of yourself and your subject matter, therefore creating great art. The idea being that you get to the core of your own psyche & "subtle energy field" because you chose a singular focal point to play upon the art. Of course this premise is lacking in any actual factual material or studies, but if someone would like to give me a major government grant to study this, I would likely be up for the task.

On to the artist that like to do art work based upon immediate perceptions and sees no value in embracing an ongoing series of work. I would like to remind you that none of what I say matters at all, and I am simply contemplating nonsense. So why are you reading this? Maybe because you have thought about this as well, or your bored and reading this late at night. Either way I couldn't really say much to my friend that posed the original question to me. I think I'm to deeply entrenched in the notion that my essence is developed through long term focus, and that will be apparent to anyone that views my art work. Somehow this last statement reeks of false thinking and shows how imbibed I am with school nonsense. The bottom line here is, it doesn't really matter what the process is that you want to use, be it actualized over a short or long period of time with or without central focus.

Art is art, let those that don't do it be the admirer & critic, & let the rest of us creative sorts be who we are without all the intellectualism and pretense of today's art world! Have I said anything of value here in this late night rambling?

I would love to hear what you think about this topic.

Be Creative, Express Yourself, Give, and Love Life

BALANCE

Today I am presented with making decisions about what carries the greatest priority in my life. I have written in previous articles about the balancing act most artist encounter between creating art, promoting, taking care of everyday responsibilities, and of course having time for family and friends. Often, finding a pleasing balance requires considerable focus, fortitude, and flexibility.

Yesterday was a flurry of meetings with clients for architectural jobs, and I didn't even have time to write this blog post, much less pursue any art activity. When wearing many hats as I do, the balancing act becomes more complicated.

I have recently started a new Polo Equestrian Series and have now completed about four working sketches for the series of ten paintings. My goal is to have all the sketches completed and painted in about sixty days. This is where the the balancing act requires some reassessment on my part to measure what is a priority.

1) Income is essential, and we all like to eat and play.

2) I love art and architecture, as both are creative and challenging.

3) The income for architecture is welcome and needed.

4) Art sales are often not providing the same level of income as architecture.

5) Both require an enormous amount of time and commitment.

6) So, how do I do everything I want to do?

First of all I have to stop being so serious about all of this. Things will get done as they get done, when they get done.

Second of all, I realize what a blessing it is to even be able to have to think about all this stuff.

Knowing this slows my million miles a second brain diatribe down long enough to realize there is no real gain or loss from any of this, and that the most important thing is to have fun, love what I have been given, and embrace the beauty of this moment.

Once I slow down the circuitous thoughts, I can easily focus and find solutions.

Saying For The Day; Relax, Count your Blessings and say Thank You.

First Art Blog Post

This is my first blog post 3-25-10

I wanted to start this blog because I thought it would be interesting to share my artistic endeavors with you. Some days are spent painting, but there is also a great deal of time spent in the area of promotion and research. I am just starting to find the balancing point in how I spend my time, to little time spent on the marketing aspects and I know I will have few sales, but to much and I will have no new art work to show. This is one of the things many artist struggle with, some just want to paint and forgo the marketing aspect of things, while others will do lots of marketing, but have little art work to display. Of course if you are in the upper ranks of artist, that is, "well known" you will probably have an art representative. As for me, I am in a few galleries, sell my work on line, and through word of mouth. I hope to find a great art representative this year, this would free me up to paint, paint, paint.........

Today I had a great day in the studio working on some compositions for my upcoming equestrian series. I have loved horses for some time now and I also ride dressage, but until now I had never really tried to draw horses. I think I've drawn just about everything else and feel very comfortable drawing, but I still have a lot to learn about horse anatomy and how to present them with a sensibility of the noble, strong, beautiful creatures they are. I probably will spend the next year drawing & painting studies of horses before I attempt to create the real series for a gallery to sell.

Saying for the day: Express yourself without ego, from your heart, honestly, and with love.