Monday, April 13, 2009

monday monday monday

I have been painting all day. Ah, it feels so good. I haven't really for-real painted in a looong time. Too long. I was beginning to not feel like myself. I'm working on another portrait. I figure its been almost 2 years (gasp!) since I have done a portrait so I want to test my skillz. Its going ok so far, but I definitely had to get in the flow of things before I started being content with the results. Lots more work to do on it. Pictures will come in the end...if its worth showing that is. I have been in such an art-rut lately. It makes my whole life feel off. I get all down on myself which just perpetuates the rut! Thats another reason why I'm working on a "filler" portrait I think. Even though it kind of ties into some of my ideas on gender issues, hmmm... Anyway, I have all these new concepts and ideas (I'll expand on that later) that I want to create from but I am having a hard time getting out what I want to say visually. I have never really worked from a concept first. Usually its always been about process and I realized my concept(s) after I was finished, kind of solving my own head's mysteries. It's just so hard to do it all at once. Come up with new ideas, explore and research them, make an opinion that you want to communicate, and then successfully do that! Ah! I know that I am on to something and moving forward, its just that weird hump that I have to get over.

Also because a lot of what I am working on has to do with gender issues and the media I can easily get labeled a feminist artist, which I'm ok with for the most part. My only worry is that feminist art (and still feminists) have a bad rep due to peoples' ignorance in thinking that its about man-hating and such things. Very wrong. There have been some crazy feminist artists, but that shouldn't discredit all feminist artists or cause people to write off feminist art as some whiny political peice. There have been crazy artists of all types! I guess
all I can do it keep thinking, making, and writing until I figure it out. I am just bummed to be leaving the art school atmosphere soon where I get decent feed back from other artists. I am going to have to join an art space or something.

I just stumbled on this guy. I love these prints! I need to read further and see what he uses to apply the pressure to the stump. I have a thing for tree stumps lately. I want to make tables out of them, chairs, paint them, etc. If anyone is cutting down a tree anytime soon let me know, I'll come get some pieces of it!!























http://www.ashesandmilk.com/blog/paper/bryan-nash-gill/