Attachment and the Importance of Failure

Winter's Designs 12 x 9

   When you make your living as an artist, it is easy to get attached to the final product in your painting.  When a painting does not succeed, it feels like the day has been unproductive.  I want every painting to be a painting that I am proud of, and, as I have written before, sometimes you have to allow yourself to make a bad painting in the process of coming up with something good .  Being too attached to the results can actually hinder you.

I started out the day today wiping out a few hours of work.  But I am trying to look at it as a good day because I tried to paint something that scared me.  I tried painting something that was out of my comfort zone.  And I learned something from it.  And one of these days, I am going to master the things that I failed at today. 

It is important to me to try and tackle new subjects and new ideas. Failure can be and indication of growth. It isn't the easiest thng to face, but it is better than making "safe" paintings. There is nothing worse than being stagnant with your work. 

So its back to the easel for me. A new day and the freedom to fail if that's what it takes.

Try again. Fail again. Fail better. --Samuel Beckett

P.S. I tried to tackle the painting posted here about 8 months ago and failed.  I tried it again this week and I feel pretty good about this attempt!

August Endings

Floating Leaves SOLD

August always feels like an ending to me.  Perhaps it has been ingrained from my school years where summer activities come to an end and a new season begins again.  I start to wish for cooler days and the first blush of color in the aspens--and a new color palette and new subjects to paint.

In a few weeks, the garden will be harvested for the last time before the first frost.  There is a finality to storing potatoes and putting that little square of land to bed.  The leaves will start to fly soon. 

Autumn is restful after a busy summer.  It gives me time to build up my inventory before ski season begins and my galleries are bustling again.  I can't imagine painting a place without the rhythms of the four seasons.  There is renewal and a structure to the year that keeps me in its grips in anticipation of the next season and the next canvas to be filled.

Momentum

Evening's Shadow oil 14 x 11

Summers are a busy time for me.  One show is stacked on top of another, my galleries are selling work, the crowds are bustling in the resort towns near where I live.  Much of what I had to do happened in July.  I have finished painting for my Solo Show (more to come in my next post).  I have wrapped up my wet paint event in Crested Butte. August does have some teaching responsibilities, but for the most part, marks a winding down period for me.

Many artists experience the "post-show doldrums."  A lot of energy has gone into producing a show and it can be a time to reassess one's goals and sometimes the what-next can stop your momentum. So, I have learned over the years that it is important for me to line up specific projects for myself after a period of intense creation.  Otherwise, I lose focus and my production wanes.

A few ideas:

• Sign up for a plein air event.
• Line up some commission work. A specific assignment and deadline keeps you from aimlessly trying to paint.
• Visit a place that inspires you.
• Go to the nearest art museum. Study the artists you admire.

Maintaining some kind of schedule helps me immensely. Sometimes I have to do a few bad paintings to get back into the swing of things, but I do find that I can get back to my normal routine fairly quickly if I follow some of the ideas listed above.

Plein Air vs. Studio Work

Afternoon on the Blue oil 9 x 12 SOLD

We had a late Spring this year, but I have been spending more time outdoors painting plein air pieces recently.  It is good to get out!  The immediacy of the outdoor experience can't be matched. When I do get out to paint, I get hooked on being outside.  There are challenges like the wind and the bugs, but the light is more true and the colors more vivid. It is an important tool for me.

I spend more time in the studio than I used to.  Winters are long and deep here and I have learned that I am more productive leaving the plein air work to the other seasons.  I do enjoy applying some of the knowledge gleaned from being outside to my studio pieces.  I also find I can slow down with the studio work and control my technique a bit more inside.  I think both approaches complement each other and each serves a very different purpose for me.

I painted this piece on the banks of the Blue River on the cusp of Spring.

Bread and Butter

Before the Run-off oil 14 x 18

I am in the midst of painting a body of work for a solo exhibition at the end of July. In preparation I have included many pieces that I consider my "bread and butter" works--those paintings that I know are sought by my collectors.  They follow a previous series or have a wider appeal. For me, these include paintings of aspens or water elements and reflect the local landscape. Sometimes I resist these images, but they do create a brand for me and they spur other sales.

I try to also include work that is a little more experimental.  I think it is important to explore new subject matter or new approaches that may be a little riskier.  It keeps the work fresh for me and sometimes even leads to a new thread that will prove to be my bread and butter. I don't go too far off route with these pieces.  I'm careful not to introduce a new style. They still feel like my other works, but they often speak about my goals as a painter and may be less "saleable", but they keep me motivated.

Second Nature

In the Wild oil 12 x 9

One thing that I love about repetition is that things that used to take a lot of effort to get right become second nature.  I remember watching a teacher of mine draw.  His lines were fluid and the proportions seemed effortless. The practice showed up on the page. And it really wasn't as magical as he made it seem.  It was that he had drawn so much over a lifetime that he was fluent at it.  I wished for that ability at the time.

I notice these days that the drawing part of painting is now second nature to me because I have the practice.  I don't have to think about the rules of perspective as much.  I don't have to hesitate to capture the curve of a field or the character of a tree. I don't always get it right the first time, but years and years of doing the same thing over and over make the challenge easier. Like practicing a language or a yoga pose. The body has memory. And I like that I'm in a place where parts of the process are intuitive.  Now there are new things to practice (the list is long)! But I know that someday the new challenges will also become second nature.

The piece above will be auctioned off July 9th to benefit the Continental Divide Land Trust at their Wildflowers and Art Celebration.  For more information visit http://www.cdlt.org/.

Creative Chaos

Calder's studio Photo courtesy of Herbert Matter

I recently bought a book as a gift for my mother about living artfully with clutter and it spurred a conversation about our studio spaces. Some amazing work comes from cluttered studios (see Calder's studio above).

I grew up in a house where the dining room table served as a workspace for my mother's projects.  She was a crafts person then, making 3-dimensional quilts and soft sculpture.  Her actual work room was filled from top to bottom with scraps of fabric, beads, zippers, you name it.  I went to sleep every night listening to the hum of her sewing machine (accessed by climbing over the piles of stuff).  She now has two levels of workspace filled with house paint and various furniture projects.

I work in a spare bedroom at home. If I am in the middle of a lot of work (as I am now), my studio is stacked with paintings and reference material and frames and boxes.  It is slightly neater than my mother's workroom (the mess is regulated to the outer reaches of the room). I do a thorough cleaning about once a year. Rest assured, the remainder of the house is neat and clean!

I am envious of those who have ample space and no clutter to work in. Those glossy pictures in the monthly magazines that show pristine and organized spaces(certainly scrubbed for the camera crew) make me yearn for a place to relax in my studio without having to move something out of the way.

Do you do your best work surrounded by chaos?

My mother's studio circa 1980

Artist Stereotypes

A Bright Spot oil 12 x 9

It always makes me laugh when the artist stereotype comes up in conversation.  Broad catagories like artists are unkempt and drink too much.  Artists can't manage their time or artists are irresponsible and lazy.  Artists don't (or can't) make a decent living. Artists are eccentric or mentally off-balance.  Artists dress in black and wear berets.

I know many artists who are grown-up, responsible, deadline-adhering, hard-working, well-dressed and regularly-bathed members of society. In fact, most of them are.

Routines and Rituals

Permanence oil 18 x 14

Disciplined routine is an important part of my everyday life.  Even though I work from home, I treat my painting day just as if I needed to show up at an office where I was accountable for getting work done. Otherwise, I would waste my day on the little stuff like laundry and cleaning out my paint drawer.

Every morning, I wake and walk the dog.  This clears the sleepiness and starts me thinking about what I will make for the day.  I am at my desk by 8:00. I paint until 12:30 or so NO MATTER WHAT. I break for lunch and then it is back to work until about 2:00. Then I can take care of prepping boards, and framing, and inventory, and the blog and website, in the late afternoon when I am too fuzzy-headed for good work.  And then begins the long wait until the next day when I can wake up and get to work again (I stole this line from Donald Hall's Life Work and he stole the line from Hemingway).

I find that many professional artists have a similar routine--though some work at night instead of during the day. I read recently that it actually promotes creativity to have daily rituals. If I haven't followed the daily routine, I get a bit anxious, like all work will cease and I will never sell another piece in my life.  So, it is important to me to stick to it.

What are your routines or rituals?