The last few weeks have just flown past and without even seaming to notice I just found that another week had gone by without even taking the time to check my e-mails or anything. I have so much work and material building up, but that is no excuse, not to have posted something on any of my blogs or social sites. Oh what a waste IU chide myself.... The simple fact is that if I don't do it, it just wont get done but that is one of the benefits or drawbacks of working for yourself. Its not the lack of motivation but rater the lack of TIME... I can make all sorts of things be that paintings drawings or money but I cant make a single second and that's the killer...
Just one week away from my desk and I can see the number of visitors drop on my sites. Oh shore, I might paint a lot, "but if no one is seeing what you paint, then whats the point" says a friend... Well In my mind its not about selling its about painting, but who am I kidding it's just a flip of the coin. On the one hand you cant sell without a product and on the other you cant sell without a customer. Which brings us back to Marketing or Selling ! more accurately which came first the chicken or the egg...
Friday, 21 May 2010
Monday, 19 April 2010
Anish Kapoor at the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima)
Despite being told by a friend that the exhibition at the moment is not very good I was delighted to find several pieces by what I can only describe as my favorite sculptor Anish Kapoor that is coinciding with the launch of his new work Temenos. Which is is soon to be unveiled in Middlehaven, Middlesbrough.
I have over the years made a number of trips to this gallery and have to say that I have always enjoyed the time spent their and would highly recommend to anyone to make the effort to visit the institute of modern art in Middlesbrough as I know you will not be disappointed.
A big thank you to Temenos for leaving a valuable coment that we can all benifit from and a link to some pictures of the official launch of Temenos, pictures of Anish's art installation at Middlehaven.
Friday, 16 April 2010
MJo-art on facebook
I have Finlay succumbed and made a facebook account for my art. I have to admit that social networking is something that I often seam to shy away from however you are welcome to follow MJo-art on Facebook so that you can keep up to date with my latest work, articles and postings that I regally make across the Internet on variety of sites. I look forward to welcoming you to facebook and getting to know you all a little better
Thursday, 1 April 2010
fascinating and interesting methods for making art.
Whilst looking and researching for those 50 simple and fun painting techniques I came across many fantastic and novel ideas, websites, blogs and images that literally blew me away . Admittedly some are just too complex or time consuming to consider and include in my list of 50 easy, fast and unusual painting methods. I mean the title says it all and I did stick to my brief in this case.
When I started the list I naively (perhaps) thought that finding 50 things would be quite easy and straightforward. However once you sit down and think about you quickly realise its not as clear-cut as that. Often we use different words for the same things or we are limited by the processes itself…
In painting for instance we are reduced to the following processes,
I fully accept that this is not an exhaustive list but I am positive you get the idea as many artists often use all or some these on the same canvas. The combinations of these three processes might well lead to a vast arrays of effects but it has to be admitted that essentially you only have three ways to paint.
However during my research I did find some fascinating and interesting methods for making art. One such Fantastic artwork I found was art formed from burned out cars which is in my opinion a Reactive Process. The artist John Garghan finds and photographs the burnt out wrecks and the effects are printed on glass. These images are visually stunning and I would highly recommend taking a look at his website and blog to fully appreciate the
artwork he produces.
John Garghan website
John Garghan Blog
When I started the list I naively (perhaps) thought that finding 50 things would be quite easy and straightforward. However once you sit down and think about you quickly realise its not as clear-cut as that. Often we use different words for the same things or we are limited by the processes itself…
In painting for instance we are reduced to the following processes,
- Applying : Adding paint by brush, fingers, sticks or whatever.
- Removing : remove paint by peeling, dissolving, rubbing, wiping, scratching or scraping.
- Reactive : adding, changing or removing colour by developing, staining, chemical reaction or glazing, thin layers that effect the colour below.
I fully accept that this is not an exhaustive list but I am positive you get the idea as many artists often use all or some these on the same canvas. The combinations of these three processes might well lead to a vast arrays of effects but it has to be admitted that essentially you only have three ways to paint.
However during my research I did find some fascinating and interesting methods for making art. One such Fantastic artwork I found was art formed from burned out cars which is in my opinion a Reactive Process. The artist John Garghan finds and photographs the burnt out wrecks and the effects are printed on glass. These images are visually stunning and I would highly recommend taking a look at his website and blog to fully appreciate the artwork he produces.
John Garghan website
John Garghan Blog
Thursday, 18 March 2010
50 fun, simple, creative and interesting art ideas.
As a modern and abstract artist I love and enjoy a challenge especially when painting... But like all artist ( I'm certain) I find that the greatest single challenge is the blank canvas... it literally terrifies me, it is almost paralyzing. I Set out with all the enthusiasm and energy necessary but as my brush rises to the canvas the fear grows, seizing me, tying me up in knots, my hand shake as a cold sweat brakes out....
Its madness, all the preliminary studies, research and sketches seam to mean nothing. All I can hear is the little voice inside my head screaming at me... What if its the wrong colour? what if you put it in the wrong place? what if you mess it up? what if you are wrong? what if you are right? Its Total madness. Total agony.
I read books on developing a positive mental attitude and dealing with fear and doubts to no avail... I know that there is no such thing as the wrong colour or wrong place, I even understand that there is "No right or wrong, just dose it work!" and work is what it is all about.! any good artwork or painting that I or any one can produce is about energy. Raw energy that the artist binds within their work. The energy that is bound in every brushstroke, that literally leaps off the canvas and make a painting vibrate with a life all its own.
Fear like all deep human emotions creates energy and vibrancy without it paintings can feel flat and lifeless and no amount of artistic skill or talent can conceal or hide this missing inner energy that all exciting paintings need. I for one keep this painting to keep me focused... (No matter what I personally feel about this piece) it still posses an inner energy that I constantly seek to capture and reproduce in all my work and paintings.
However if we consider that fear like all emotions add emotional content, and is a vital part in any modern or abstract paintings, despite any understanding we as individuals might have of our deep emotional stance, we, as artist must to some extent live with and encourage extremes of emotion if we are to paint worthwhile artwork that touches the human psychology that all of us have been conditioned with through out our lives.
Finding solutions that work
Faced with this paradox I found myself struggling both to balance the need for fear and to overcome its personal effects. The solution is essentially simple "take action" "Just do it" the more you face a fear the more that fear diminishes and recedes, this I can vouch for... as once I have made that first mark all my fear vanishes leaving me buzzing with excitement. The fact is that most fears are not real they are just phantoms that are easily banished.
The more that I have considered this the more I have come to realise that it is not the painting that is holding me back or even the feelings, but rather the value that I as an individual artist I have for the modern and abstract art that I lovingly paint and devote myself too as a slave. I simply value my art to high and as a consequence I'm frightened that I will "cock it up" and make a mess of it.
Art Is Fun ! especially modern or abstract art, even the making of art should be fun and it seams that I have forgotten this…. The solution to this is to get back to basics and start to have some serious fun with what I do and paint. Seams simple don’t it, but How. I sat down and started to write, throwing ideas about and seeing what happened then it hit me.
Make a list of 50 fun and interesting art ideas. Keep it simple, make it fun and don’t take it to serious. By using different media and techniques that are outside the box, radical and even unorthodox, I can play with Ideas, colours, shapes and concepts in a fun and novel way. I know that most of pictures and images produced will probably just get thrown away but that’s OK. I will have fun and explore art as it should be and when I’m ready I will be able to just paint.
The list itself started with a stream of creative ideas, but by the time I got to 42 things started to get a bit more challenging. I have covered all sorts of mediums from pastels to inks, water colour to acrylic, photo and film mixed-media and found objects, even. Dare I say it “Installations”. I have had so much fun with the list alone that I’m buzzing with excitement and energy and cant wait to get started….
I have been making art or modeling in one form or another for all of my life however it struck me that to simply dismiss the product of this project would be remiss of me... Lets be honest the success and failures of any artwork are of value not just to me but to any that have an interest in art and painting. What I should do is make a record of this body of work recording the Good, Bad and dam right Ugly, how it was made, the media used and what was learnt or gained in the making of it...
Now all I have to do is decide how best to do this ? Do I put the work on this Blog ? Create a new Blog dedicated to to this ongoing art project ? or something else ? what to do ? If you my readers have a suggestion I would welcome your input immensely.
Its madness, all the preliminary studies, research and sketches seam to mean nothing. All I can hear is the little voice inside my head screaming at me... What if its the wrong colour? what if you put it in the wrong place? what if you mess it up? what if you are wrong? what if you are right? Its Total madness. Total agony.
I read books on developing a positive mental attitude and dealing with fear and doubts to no avail... I know that there is no such thing as the wrong colour or wrong place, I even understand that there is "No right or wrong, just dose it work!" and work is what it is all about.! any good artwork or painting that I or any one can produce is about energy. Raw energy that the artist binds within their work. The energy that is bound in every brushstroke, that literally leaps off the canvas and make a painting vibrate with a life all its own.
However if we consider that fear like all emotions add emotional content, and is a vital part in any modern or abstract paintings, despite any understanding we as individuals might have of our deep emotional stance, we, as artist must to some extent live with and encourage extremes of emotion if we are to paint worthwhile artwork that touches the human psychology that all of us have been conditioned with through out our lives.
Finding solutions that work
Faced with this paradox I found myself struggling both to balance the need for fear and to overcome its personal effects. The solution is essentially simple "take action" "Just do it" the more you face a fear the more that fear diminishes and recedes, this I can vouch for... as once I have made that first mark all my fear vanishes leaving me buzzing with excitement. The fact is that most fears are not real they are just phantoms that are easily banished.
The more that I have considered this the more I have come to realise that it is not the painting that is holding me back or even the feelings, but rather the value that I as an individual artist I have for the modern and abstract art that I lovingly paint and devote myself too as a slave. I simply value my art to high and as a consequence I'm frightened that I will "cock it up" and make a mess of it.
Art Is Fun ! especially modern or abstract art, even the making of art should be fun and it seams that I have forgotten this…. The solution to this is to get back to basics and start to have some serious fun with what I do and paint. Seams simple don’t it, but How. I sat down and started to write, throwing ideas about and seeing what happened then it hit me.
Make a list of 50 fun and interesting art ideas. Keep it simple, make it fun and don’t take it to serious. By using different media and techniques that are outside the box, radical and even unorthodox, I can play with Ideas, colours, shapes and concepts in a fun and novel way. I know that most of pictures and images produced will probably just get thrown away but that’s OK. I will have fun and explore art as it should be and when I’m ready I will be able to just paint.
The list itself started with a stream of creative ideas, but by the time I got to 42 things started to get a bit more challenging. I have covered all sorts of mediums from pastels to inks, water colour to acrylic, photo and film mixed-media and found objects, even. Dare I say it “Installations”. I have had so much fun with the list alone that I’m buzzing with excitement and energy and cant wait to get started….
I have been making art or modeling in one form or another for all of my life however it struck me that to simply dismiss the product of this project would be remiss of me... Lets be honest the success and failures of any artwork are of value not just to me but to any that have an interest in art and painting. What I should do is make a record of this body of work recording the Good, Bad and dam right Ugly, how it was made, the media used and what was learnt or gained in the making of it...
Now all I have to do is decide how best to do this ? Do I put the work on this Blog ? Create a new Blog dedicated to to this ongoing art project ? or something else ? what to do ? If you my readers have a suggestion I would welcome your input immensely.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
the best Hubpages article... how to paint a better picture
Making better art is as much about how you see the world as it is about what you do within It. I have just written my best Hubpages article to date. The article, entitled "How to pain a better picture" is despite how the title sounds not about painting skills or style but rather how I as a modern artist deal with the problem of focus and objectivity.
Being an artist requires a lot from me and painting I have realised is only one small part of what I do... Reading, learning, understanding and growing as well as writing are vital to producing fantastic modern art. Hubpages is just one of a number of places that I invest my time and energy as well as this blog I write several others and contribute articles and comments across the internet all of which allows me to channel my thoughts and I believe and hope is as much a benefit to others as it is to me.
Being an artist requires a lot from me and painting I have realised is only one small part of what I do... Reading, learning, understanding and growing as well as writing are vital to producing fantastic modern art. Hubpages is just one of a number of places that I invest my time and energy as well as this blog I write several others and contribute articles and comments across the internet all of which allows me to channel my thoughts and I believe and hope is as much a benefit to others as it is to me.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)