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| I'd Rather Be acrylic on paper image size 10" x 12" approximate matted to 14" x 18" |
Last year my girlfriend and I went kayaking. The idea of being so close to the water, sitting on it actually, and the possibility of overturning or of getting so far out that I can't paddle back, sort of terrifies me. Equally frightening is being in the water and somehow not being able to get back into the boat. Panicking I guess. However, with my friend there, I managed to get in and not only that, enjoy myself in the process. We are now both thinking about buying kayaks. The Husbands have approved so this might actually happen.
The above piece is inspired by one of those trips. I bent down low on the beach, in front of the kayaks, to take the source photo. Everything in the photo got positioned and reduced down to the simplest shape possible. I followed the perspective of the scene as much as I thought was reasonable but tried not to be tied to it in an exact way. My tolerance for this sort of thing is expanding, I think. The idea of the boats as a unit, balancing on the ground, with the sun in the back as another balance sort of makes me really happy. I picture things in my compositions as if there is a teeter-totter present. Or scales. Something like that.
In Other News:
Do you think that you want enough for yourself? Are your art related expectations low? I do a lot of Internet surfing in the morning as I am having my coffee and waking up. During those searches I come across artists whom I have never heard of, whose work I either am drawn to or not, and whose resumes are impressive and seemingly endless. Looking at their accomplishments (and also noting that many of them are younger than me) reminds me of the smallness of the context in which I operate. Small town, small pieces, small showings, small audience, etc. What do I want for my art and myself and on what scale do I want those things? It's a question worthy of intense consideration especially given my age. And I would go so far to say that anyone doing something creative should ask this question first. What do you want? (And please, be advised to look for an internal rather than an external response.)
OK, thanks for reading and commenting. Hope everyone has had a good week so far.
Libby
It's a beautifully composed painting. I like it even more knowing how you came to it. I too am afraid of being out on water in only a boat. I think it's called self preservation. Haha!
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrific question you've posed Libby. I think about these issues often. I don't have an answer I can put into words... but if something more comes to me, I'll re-comment. Everything I have right now seems a bit cliche.
Great post Libby! Thank you!
Dear Libby - This post really started me thinking. When I started doing art I planned on selling my work and entering shows. I did. a bit of this for some time. Lately though I've lost some of that motivation. Perhaps it is just a phase and in time that desire will return. For now I am just happy doing sketching and creating small works. Sometimes things change and we move in different directions. Am enjoying seeing your direction. It inspires me 😉!
ReplyDeletelovely painting and it is cool to know what inspired it!
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