Sitting with Your Work
What We Can Learn from the Past
Sitting here revisiting work I've made in 2024.
Work made for The Art Life workshop.
Work made for others.
Work made for me.
Work I haven't shown to anyone else yet.
In September, I painted a cow in my journal. I don't know why, but I did.
I love this piece.
In it, I can see the influence of the artists whose work I was looking at this year (Joan Eardley's influence is visible to me here in the brush strokes in the body of the cow.)
I think it's important to look back, process, and sit with old work. You can learn quite a bit from it.
Looking closely at this work, I see brush strokes that excite and inspire me. I see colors that engage with the viewer (those dirty whites!) I see new, different, and playful.
I see a piece that just makes me happy and eager to make more work.
Isn't this what our work is supposed to do for us and for others? To engage? To stimulate? To enrich and inspire?
Speaking of The Art Life, we're starting something new January 1st:
The Art Life: Building Your Visual Vocabulary
Did you know TAL: BYVV isn't only for one medium or one kind of artist? We will explore and do deep dives into:
acrylic painting
art journaling
collage
drawing
journaling
mixed media,
and much more.
Some of my core principles in The Art Life: Building Your Visual Vocabulary are:
Building a regular practice. For some, that could be daily or weekly. For others, it's once a month.
Learning what inspires, excites, and feeds you creatively. A steady diet of a good variety keeps an artist well nourished. Inspiration is everywhere when one knows what to look for.
Showing up for yourself and your work. That could mean touching your art supplies, cleaning your studio area (aka my corner of the living room), reading, taking a walk, etc…
Not being afraid to fail. Failure means learning. Failure means asking questions and building confidence. It is not a bad thing with art and creativity.
These are just some of the things that I've found to be fundamental in my own continuing evolution as an artist.
I know that life can get in the way. I also know that art takes time, energy, and devotion.
Carve out the time your art practice deserves; carve out the time you deserve.
“Art takes time— Monet grew his gardens before he painted them.” -Atticus
As always, thank you, for your interest and support.
❤️🎨,
Kelly