Good Empty Advice

Use your own path, thoughts, and words.  This is the advice that I would give to artists struggling to write an artist statement or lacking ideas for blank white surfaces surrounding them.  It sounds as if I'm giving empty advice, however it hints at what it is meant to be an artist, and what is expected with the label of "artist".

K.Booth, An ink drawing in progress. 2012

So many times when teaching, students would ask on the first day of a project, "What should I make?"  They were seeking a direct answer, but I never gave them one.  It wasn't because I didn't care, or didn't want to help them.  I did want to help them, but the best way for me to help was to ask them questions.  It depended upon the assignment what questions I would ask in order to activate their minds towards a brainstorming session.  Simple questions of what was important to them often lead them to their own conclusion.  The conclusion often resonated with them so much that it lead to great focus, motivation, and fantastic results.  Why?  Because it had meaning to them.  Suddenly a truck was not just a truck made out of pencil lines, but stood for their Uncle Bob's shop and how they loved to visit that place and aspired to learn more about machinary.  They would go beyond what they thought they could, and began to believe in their own voice and what they could accomplish.

The truth is that no one else can give you the answers, and it is your responsiblity to come up with your solutions.  Other people may be helpful guides, but their answers are probably not be your own.  Each of us already knows what to do, we just need to retreive it.  Listen to your thoughts and concerns.  One way to do this is to journal.  I'm not saying you need entries like, "Dear Diary, Today I went to work and scraped gum off of the floor.  When I came home I ate spaghetti.  Love, Krystal"  Although, yes, even really good ideas can come from the mundane, but I'm talking about recording your thoughts of what's important to you or what drives you crazy.  Has any new information opened up your imagination?  Record it!  What's important in your daily life?  What are you seeking?  The list of questions you could ask yourself goes on and on.  Don't rely on yourself to think that you'll remember your answers - you probably won't.  Time changes perspectives and answers.  Write it down so you can come back to it later to reflect, choose what to build upon, and then work your tail off.

After the work, artists are struck with the responsibility of composing an artist statement.  (I just heard artists cringing around the world).  However, if we change our attitudes about them, there is much to gain.  We are lucky to have yet another way to express our work to the viewer.  Seize that opportunity and use it!  I have seen advice in which artists will tell each other to copy from another's statement or a variety of statements and then make it your own.  I would like to slap these "advisors" across the face...or just tell them them kindly that we are all better than that.

It is okay to read others' statements to get a better idea of what is expected and how they used this to further engage the viewer with their visual work.  However, I have found that sometimes the artist statement is wrongly treated as an artist biography.  It is not a bio, and the work should be the primary focus of exploring the hows and whys of the work.  Some biographical elements may come in, but only if they serve the work.  The work is the focus. 

The simple solution is to journal about the work, or review the writings that you wrote before and while creating it.  It can be a challenge sifting through the information and thoughts, but these writings will help you get at the main ideas.  You are more knowledgeable of the intent of your work than anyone else.  The answers will not be found in someone else's artist statement, and quite honestly, your more creative than that.  Stop selling yourself short.

There are plenty of sources that can help one compose an artist statement.  The one that has helped me the most is a book by Ariane Goodwin titled Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work (Infinity Publishing, 2002, ISBN:  0-7414-0843-0). 

I realize that this is a loooong entry, but I felt this post as a necessary one.  Artists go through periods of inactivity and difficulty with ideas, and this is normal.  Struggle with converting visual ideas into nice, less-than-one-page statements is normal.  All of this is just a part of the overall picture, but I don't think originality needs to be willingly sacrificed by copying others statements or ideas for a blank canvas.  The cliches of "all artists steal", and "everything has been done before", should not prevent us from trying to find our own voices and trying to do what we were put here to do.  The responsibility comes with the label.



You Are Invited!

The envelope arrived today.  My painting Object was invited to be a part of the exhibition titled Undressing Room at the Froelick Gallery.  I am elated and so happy to share this news with you!  Froelick Gallery has been one of my favorite galleries in Portland and I'm absolutely honored to be a part of this.

The exhibition will go on from June 6th through July 13th with two 1st Thursday Receptions on June 7th and July 5th from 5pm-8pm.  I hope to see you there!

Froelick Gallery 

Our Art Space - A Spring Cleaning!

New leaves are being born from the branches that a month ago were bare, and the day was beautiful in Portland today.  The sun and 80 degree weather seemed to get me going on a spring cleaning kick.  The studio area is now organized and ready to mess up once again with paint, ink, charcoal dust and random pencil shavings that somehow escape.

Our Art Studio.  Ivan insisted on making a cameo pose on the drawing table.



So for now, my brain sought some order and recieved some today (referring to "My Secret Obsession").  I enjoy our art studio being in our home.  It makes it easy to create on a whim and whenever we please.  No one cares what we wear while getting there either which saves us from a lot of judgemental stares and sideways glances if we happen to get lazy about finding a matching pair of comfy shoes.  Last week I wore a monkey slipper with a plaid slip-on.

An Unfurling

This is the drawing that is now finished, and I'm kind of struggling with a title.  For now I'm calling it "The Unfurling of Eight".

The Unfurling of Eight, 2012, Krystal Booth

Ink and watercolor on paper collage, 18x24".

I am pleased with how the drawing and layer studies have combined.  During one of the last posts, I wondered if and when these experiments would combine - little did I know it would be this week!

The oil painting series - "Object" - is going to be an ongoing thing, I've decided.  Time needs to lapse between the works for content reasons.  In the meantime, I'll be making horrificly arranged chicken scratches in the good ol' sketchbook to figure out the next drawings in this series.

Not to mention, I'm still wanting to do some more landscapes.  This is getting to be ridiculous!  I'm putting too many things on my plate at once perhaps, but I just would really love to work on all of these.  Is it possible to be too greedy with ideas?  I know that there are two more ideas waiting in the wings as well that I have put on the back burner for more development in the future.

Sometimes ideas are difficult to come by and those times are frustrating.  However, when the ideas are too many to be carried through all at once, it can become equally torturous.  I am on an uncertain time limit and I have to choose somewhat wisely while still allowing for creative play.  Ever since I turned thirty-four I have felt more urgency.  Is it an age thing, or just part of a creative cycle?  Perhaps a combination?  Do you go through this?

 

I Feel Good!

I believe I'm having a break through of some sort with the developing series and it's feeling good!

I'm at a point where it can go either way with the step I'm about to take next.  I'm moving out of a comfort zone, and I am hopeful.  Enjoy your day and enjoy some Muse!

(I swear, someday I will do an ice skating routine to this...I fantasize about the spins and jumps everytime I hear this song!)

A Violent Pillow

The following sketch was done in about 5-10 minutes last night.  I drew Matthew when he was sleeping (he unknowingly determined the time limit by rolling over, darn it).  We laughed this morning because the pillow looks like it is punching him.  It is very forceful pillow evidently.

I don't think my painting was accepted for the group exhibition.  They stated that the accepted artists would know sometime after the 10th, and I'm kind of losing some hope.

Onward to the Next!

What is that saying about losing the small battles and winning the big ones?  We'll go with that.

Lines and Laughs

This week has been busy with sketching and planning.  This is part of one of the sketches on an 24x18" piece of watercolor paper.

I'm making an attempt to be more expressive with the line quality than I have been in the past.  This is possibly one of the things that have lacked in prior works.  Today, developing this drawing further will be the priority, and maybe integrating layers of color/texture.  It's difficult to tell at this point, but I'm seeking some way of integrating the layer studies with figures.  I feel that once any color is added, it runs the chance of overpowering the delicate lines and unraveling the composition...or maybe that's the answer.  The year-long experiment is still underway afterall, so why not?

I hope you've all had a great week with your loved ones and those around you.  I know that I did - I laughed daily (not hard to believe), with a highlight of Matt dancing in the kitchen changing crazy faces with each wave of his hand (laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes), and coworkers who crack me up.   I hope you have a some great hightlights too and continue to by making your weekend count! 
Love to all.

The Unanswered Nude

Last Saturday was a studio scurry that brought about a lot of firsts.  I found out about a juried group exhibition at one of my favorite galleries in downtown Portland late on Friday night.  The deadline was Saturday.  Did any of my existing works fit the theme?  Unfortunately they did not.  The theme is The Undressing Room.  The following is the top third of the 24x18" oil painting on canvas that I created and titled Object.

I thought about posting this work in its entirety, but thought better of it since it is such a personal work and I may have past students who happen upon my little blog.  Uncomfortable.  Awkward.  Not a great professional situation or decision at this current time.


I have painted other nudes, however I have never painted any of myself in this vulnerable manner.  It is only of my torso, but it is still extremely uncomfortable to be so entirely bare upon a canvas.  I could get into my intention and meaning of the piece, but I think that I can't answer those questions fully yet.  There's a lot of tensions in this work that perplex my mind, and I'm happy about that.  While this work puts me in an uncomfortable place mentally, it intrigues me enough to want to continue along this vein.  I have plans of creating another similar work this weekend.


This was also the first time that I had made myself finish a work of this size in a single day from start to finish.  It was a great exercise that forced me to prioritize the compositional features.  It made me omit the unnecessaries and be more bold and intentional.  I didn't have much time to second guess my marks under such a time restraint and it was a refreshing challenge.  It also allowed me to finish the thought in the moment instead of coming back to the canvas the next day and losing the train of thought, or muddying the expression with other thoughts.  I plan on executing the next work under the same time restraints - one day and no more.


The panel of jurors are making their decisions and I'll find out after the 10th.  Instead of worrying if I will be standing beside my boobs for the world to see in an amazing gallery or not, I will be busy following this unfinished thought.  I don't know if it will be a series or not, but for now the ideas are unanswered and so I will continue.  As with some ideas, they die before they make it upon the canvas, or after the first work.  This one is still alive for now, so I have some work to do.

(Details of Object, 2012 by Krystal Booth)

Oil on canvas, 24x18"