Fibermania

I got this email question...

Dear Melody,

I’d love to hear more about what makes you happy about a particular painting.

I’d also love to know why you decided to paint the more representation items you’ve been painting now. (And I’m thinking that lots of other quilter blog readers out there would also find this interesting). As someone with no formal art training (except all that I receive from you!), I don’t know how to look at a representational painting. (Well, I know how to look – with my eyes, but you know…)

Simple questions with complicated answers.

To begin, I got entranced with the painting a day people like Duane Keiser and Carol Marine. The discipline appealed to me, and as you may remember I did do a quilt a day for a while and loved that too. I like to make something and have it sell ( encouragement) and saw that these painters were doing that too. It was thrilling to think that people would buy my paintings like they bought my quilts, and I could do that at home and not have to travel or have a booth or go to art fairs or deal with galleries. What could be better?

I noticed that the daily painters did mostly 6x6" paintings of one or two objects and I did a few but since I had larger canvases, like 12x12 and decided that I could do more than one or two items per painting, and offer more.

Initially I also wanted to paint looser, which I am getting better at, but some paintings end up much tighter and more exact. Sometimes I want to get each detail perfected...because I can. When there is a reflection in a smooth surface I definitely have to work tighter to get that image right. It is a challenge. I love the challenge. But then I am also challenged by the looser techniques.

It is a back and forth kind of approach.

I chose to do the still life fruit and veggies for the color and because they are available now. As a result I have a commission for a set of 16 which I will begin this week, as soon as the canvases arrive. Because that will be a long commission I decided to paint Splurge as a diversion, and see what happens. I still have lots of big blank canvases in my garage.

OK the last question: how to look at a representational painting. What has art training got to do with anything? If you like it, you like it. If not, you don't.

This is what irks me about what people think about art. It's as tho it is a secret code or something. Geesh.

And art school...HA! Let me get on my soapbox for a minute. I have a BA in painting and an MA in Fiber and art school is how I got them. And with them I have credentials. Not much else.

Visual art is like music, when you see it a visceral thing happens and if you respond you know why. You feel it.

For me, I get a thrill when I see some paintings and wish I had painted them. And when I make something that does that to me, it is priceless. Of course, I will sell it. I am not sentimental. Art is to be shared.

I hope that helps.