“I Can’t Paint”
February 26th, 2008
How many times have you thought this to yourself. It’s the phrase that every artist creating original, honest art thinks to themselves many, many times. Doubt, fear, and uncertainty are all part of the artist’s palette. So many times the emotion borders on despair. The artist looks at an empty canvas, brushes in hand, saying to himself or herself, where do I go from here? The canvas answers back with an empty stare.
It’s times like these that are so challenging. It takes a lot of belief in the self to get through these periods. You’ll find out what kind of artist (and person) you are. And there really is no secret on surviving these insecure times.
The secret is to keep working and moving forward. You just have to persist with your artistic vision. I’ll say it once again, keep working and move forward. Fail. Do you think deKooning, Pollock and Rothko created a “masterpiece” everytime they picked up a brush and put marks on a canvas? You’ll get through those “I can”t paint” thoughts, and find that wonderful part of you that exists in your art.
Entry Filed under: Observations, Teaching
2 Comments Add your own
1. Sushma Sabnis | February 28th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Thank You, Mr Mac for this post. I do realize how important it is to carry on with or without being inspired.
Do you think there is a limit to being inspired by your muse?
2. Sushma Sabnis | February 28th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Apart from the well known names like Klimt, Monet, Frida Kahlo, S. H. Raza, M. f Hussain, Tyeb Mehta, Pollock, Picasso, there are a few who aren’t all that well known like V S Gaitonde, Ganesh Pyne. I had the chance to look at Dee Ferris’s work at Tate last week. Her work is haunting. I love the fantasy/abstract/fluidity quality of her work. On flickr, there are people like you, Marianne Wakeley, Claire Streather, Keith Perelli, Vivi-Mari Carpelan just to name a few.
There are times when a painter is a fave for a phase, like Monet. At present it is Gaitonde.
I often seem to be drawn to artists who have or appear to have consistence of thought in their work. I don’t really know if it is a stupid thing to look for, especially where art and creativity is concerned.
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