100 Works: Measuring the Progress

Where am I in the 100 works goal?

Detail of a Painting in progress

Oil on paper 24x18", 2013

Krystal Booth

 

 

Right now I am to start on number 26.  A quarter of the goal has been reached.  This is good since a quarter of the year is over as well, though that doesn't even seem possible.  It was not to my advantage to think of this idea later than the new year on January 20th, but that's okay.  It won't be too much of a hindrance.

 

What has changed?  So far paint handling has loosened up a bit.  I don't feel as though I'm strangling my subject as much.  It will be interesting to compare and contrast the works from the beginning of this year to the end of the year.  It's difficult to predict, but it's an exciting prospect.

 

Have I felt rushed?  I really haven't.  I thought that I would feel a bit stressed out and frantic at times with balancing this goal with work and daily life stuff.  So far this feeling has not been felt, and I'm hoping that I don't feel that upon the finish in December.  That's the last way I would want to end this project.

 

What about materials?  The stash of 18x24" canvases has run dry, but I've solved that for the time being by working on paper.  The paper, being more fragile by its flexibility, seems to run along better with the concept behind the works anyway, so it's not such a loss.  I've had to change from Turpenoid to Turpenoid Natural due to painting more.  It's non-toxic, which is better for the workspace that is not always ventilated that great.  The dizzy spell that occurred one night was the wake up call to change products.  (oops! foolish mistake)

 

The Flake White Replacement is a sticky mess and I hate it.  I'm still using it, as the tube is practically full and I don't want to waste money or material.  It's just not as smooth or solid as the Flake White I had been using.  Maybe I'll get more used to it and change my mind, but for now, it's a disappointment and a source of mental cursing upon the palette.  Any suggestions?

 

All in all, there have been some blunders of some instantly failed works, but there have also been works that have made me even more curious in technique and concept.  This challenge has been a good one that has made me realize that I'm much happier if I've been in the studio.

 

Thank you for supporting me by reading and commenting!  It helps fuel the process, and thank you so much.  Love to all!

 

 



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.



The Changing Landscape of Things

This is the current landscape as it sits upon the easel today.  It is still in progress and patiently waiting for me as I write this.  My first intention was to get it done a couple of days ago - instead, my progress has been slow while imposing shapes upon the surfaces of the forms and messing with the color relationships.

To my absolute surprise, I've been painting landscapes lately and really enjoying it.  They have captured my imagination.This is another one that has been in the works -   

I've always had a bit of a yawn when it came to landscapes in the past.  I don't know what it is, but they can bore me to no end....however, my opinion is changing.


I would like to blame or thank the Pacific Northwest for this unexpected change of attitude.  There is not a day when I am not in awe of the natural phenomena here taking the form of moss covered branches, mountain peaks that seem suspended from the sky, and the smell of pine needles blanketing the walking paths.  Even if garter snakes are sunning themselves in the said paths and I have to find a way to stomp louder while suffocating Matthew's arm in my grip, I am thankful that I can finally see why nature is the master of art.

New Work of the Day - Will It Work?

Transition, 2011

Charcoal and graphite on Paper, 7x5"

This is how I spent my day - space traveling with the point of a charcoal pencil.  It was inspired by a texture study and the golden ratio.  The big moon type of sphere in the upper right corner was drawn using graphite so it has a sheen to it - (the sheen/values/textures turned out beautifully in person, but don't quite translate in photographs or when scanned - the shiney graphite fights against the dark areas).  After I finished it, I placed it beside the texture study to see what it would look like together as a single piece of work.

What is strange is the fact that they fit together more peacefully with these sides touching more than the way I had planned.  I can see an elipse type of shape that stretches across both of them in an almost seamless manner (squint at it and then it appears).  That is what convinced me that this is how they want to be shown...

However, the two do not quite fit because the layer study is anemic in the contrast department.  It needs darker areas in order to balance out the charcoal drawing.  I'm going to go back into the layer study and work on building some more dark and light areas.  I'm hoping that maybe they will be more unified and balanced after that.  We shall see!



Going Forward

Today I've been continuing the de-clutterization of the apartment...all seems to be going well, but I am realizing that it's going to take a bigger chunk of time than I expected. 

I also took the opportunity to photograph the painting that's currently in the works.  I like to photograph my art while it is in progress sometimes because it distances me from the work itself.  It seems that I can evaluate the progress and think of different solutions when I see it in a different manner than just standing in front of it.  I like to think that it makes my evaluation a bit more objective.  Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. 

This painting is quite a departure from what I've done before.  I can see hints of this in earlier works - I took the things I liked from earlier works and am trying to get it all inside one work.  I'll keep you all posted!