Comments on: Whatever you do, don’t paint from the heart

By: KEH

KEH — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:15:10 +0000

I completely agree with this post and the importance of the fundamentals to advance artwork to the next level. People tend to lump art into that category of things that "talent" generates, not something that comes from diligence and practice.

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all.” - Michael Angelo. The reality of it is art just like anything else requires an immense amount of time, practice, and effort. Without these no amount of "talent" or "your heart" will make artwork that is truly excellent.

By: CKinast

CKinast — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:56:28 +0000

Whole different mind-set there... true passion without apprehension. One which many artists have tried to mimic. It's a great point...

By: CKinast

CKinast — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:55:05 +0000

But when you "squish" you have a plan in mind... right? I'm a high school art teacher and it's frustrating when a student says, "I just want to paint what comes to my mind". When they are given this freedom I can see they are unfulfilled because it lacks the understanding of the principles and elements. It is clear, that with opportunity and knowledge, their painting/drawing would improve. So yes, I feel heart is where the magic is, and it's what draws us in, but without understanding the foundations an artist will not truly achieve what he/she feels and will wind up disappointed.

By: CKinast

CKinast — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:39:28 +0000

When I was younger I didn't care for Picasso, until I realized that he was a leader in many Modernistic movements. This didn't happen by chance, but by daring and obsession.

I appreciate his influence in breathe, but also in his illumination of a multi-culture identity during a "white-man's world". As for his arrogance and womanizing habits, it makes me take a few steps back. In the end, it's understandable how someone might like or not like his work, as it is very raw.

By: David

David — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:38:56 +0000

Emgee,

As the writer Theodore Sturgeon once said (in response to someone telling him that 90% of his work was crap), "90% of everything is crap."

I try to focus on the other 10%.

By: Emgee

Emgee — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:16:48 +0000

I agree with your opinion on learning skills and honing talent by working at it - even if it doesn't feel like its work. I think the same can be said for design, I see a lot of junk out there made by people who got their start because they were 'edgy' and now make a better than comfortable living creating designs that follow no compositional form or function. Mistakes that, if they were working under an art director instead of a yes man, would send them back to their drawing board with their heads hung in shame.

By: HarmonyC

HarmonyC — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:48:05 +0000

I have to agree with the comments about disciplining yourself to drawing for a certain number of minutes a day. Starting to draw say 10 or 20 minutes a day will not only change your artwork it will transform your life. I believe this is because drawing helps you to really see things. No matter what style of painter you think you are, drawing well is the first step in the translation between what is in your mind to what will be on the page. Drawing is as essential to art of all kinds as basic biology to a physician or the alphabet to a writer.

By: David

David — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:01:50 +0000

KHart,

I'm not posting very actively right now, but I do read comments

I'm entirely in sympathy with your feelings about painters who only know how to smear paint clumsily around--and the people who like their stuff.

By: KHart

KHart — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:48:09 +0000

Not sure if this will ever even be read. The last post was in 2009.. However, I do feel that too many who would love to be "artists" just can't deal with the discipline required. Regardless of style, or medium or subject matter, it is important to learn to draw what you see before you can even claim to draw what it makes you feel. A teacher of mine way back when said that if a person could discipline themselves to draw and paint, etc. four hours every day then they possibly would not need to go to art school. There is truth in that because nobody can teach another to draw well or paint well... they can only share techniques and nurture. This helps, yes, but in art, unlike law or medicine, the real learning comes in the doing. I look at older works of mine... even just a few months on... and there are things I find horrid in these and see how I can do better... and so on and so on, etc. Most of art is an ability to see and in the seeing connect the mind heart and spirit. In the town where I live, there are quite a few individuals who enjoy creating art but there is one lady in particular who absolutely puzzles me. She describes her work as being "impressionistic" and that it is the result of both intentional and accidental effects of just moving paint and other substances around. The end paintings definitely look just what they are, a real mess. But because she justifies the result by describing it in art terms, there are those who buy these things... never realizing that she is just a really bad artist who can't paint or draw anything with any skill. If her paintings were hung upside down, no one would ever know. As far as Picasso, he did show that he understood and had an above average level of basic skills ... I don't love his work but can understand what he was up to given the era he was living in. We have cameras now so, unlike early painters, we do not need to create a photographic likeness but that doesn't justify creating bad art.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:52:21 +0000

"Ya gotta suffer if you wanna sing the blues."