On Sunday night I texted my aunt some photos of paintings I was working on. Later that night, I altered almost all of them. On Monday, I received a text back from her saying she loved the painting below and wanted to buy it! She liked the bright colors. Great news right!? Well, what she didn't know yet was that I painted over the back ground to calm it down after I sent her the photos. I too liked the contrast, but it didn't feel right. The new change felt right. Sooooo, I had to break the news to her that I was still working on it and it's no longer bright and contrasty (yes, i made that word up :) ). Those few text message exchanges sent me into a whirlwind of insecurity and doubt/confusion.
Does this mean, my taste is bad? I really like the muted colors right now, they inspire me. Will I be the only one who enjoys them?? Am I too boring? Should I start making more bright and contrasty paintings? What it all boiled down to was why and for who am I making art?
Am I making art to sell it or making it for me? The answer is that I'm making art for myself and that's ok. It needs to be deeply personal and honest or else it will come off fake. Art should be personal and a full expression of the artist. It should excite you! Not an expression of what the artists thinks the customer would want to buy.
Here's what I worked on once the kiddos were in bed.
The painting above has been a work in progress for a little while now. I can't seem to make it work yet. I thought I had a good plan to create more texture, by cutting a canvas border around the circles, but it didn't look as good as it did in my head so I tried another method...
I cut canvas circles out of my scraps and started to paint and sew them onto the painting. I need to leave it for a day or two and come back to it. Not sure I like this either.
I also added the stars to another unfinished painting. Excited to see what the end product will look like!
