My own work informing my own work is a concept I am exploring. While I love to look at all kinds of art, and do at every opportunity, I am beginning to explore my own work as a starting off place for new work. One of my goals as an artist is to develop and express my own authentic voice. I want to be the best artist I can be. Some times I see art created by other artists and I practically gasp for breath at the stunning image. Yet, I am craving the authenticity of my own voice.
Wasn’t it Andy Warhol who said everybody influences everybody? I am as influenced as everyone else. Yet there is some new energy coming. I can feel it. I am creating a space for this energy, and honoring it. This tiny piece is from a journal I started last year, which I think of as my Voice Journal. No rules. No expectations. Experimentation. Permission. How about you? Do you know your own voice? What are your creative experiments?
New energy, especially in winter is so powerful.
ReplyDeleteYour work seems to embody new energy in every piece Leslie. It's so calming and energizing at the same time.
Beautiful work.
Thank you Niya. I am a minimalist at heart. I love what I think of as the Japanese aesthetic. (I don’t mean to imply that a society with such a rich history can be lumped into one aesthetic.) My Mom was, in a sense, my first art teacher. She taught me about grouping elements in uneven numbers. And she made me aware of the pleasure of the eye. One of her phrases was “because it pleases me.” I love that.
ReplyDeleteAesthetics are healing, and everywhere. As the artist you pull out what 'pleases you' and offer it to the world...and....I love that!
ReplyDeleteThe book titled, "The Object Stares Back' is a wonderful read. It's about the relationship with have to what we look at and really 'see'.
you've got it going on over here Leslie! - maybe real snow here this weekend? - UGH! - not a fan!
ReplyDeleteHey Jeane
ReplyDeleteSnow on the blog is pretty. Snow on the roads is not. If I were home and it was snowing I would like to look out at it, feed the brids,keep the fire going, and maybe make a pot of soup.
'a new energy'- what an exciting place to be
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this snow falling! It's the closest I'm going to get living here at the beach.
ReplyDeleteYour work is beautiful,clear spaces and lovely line and I can so appreciate your seeking the authentic voice. I'm at a place in my life where just creating art for arts sake is a empty experience...it has to mean something,relate to a personal exploration, connect me to my voice. Wonderful to stop by...let it snow, let it snow!!
Mary Ann
Shayla: New energy is exciting! Now to see what comes of it. I think of saying "stay tuned", with my fingers crossed for good things. Or at least a good try. Thanks for visiting. Come visit any time.
ReplyDeleteMary Ann: Such richness for us when we are in our authentic voice, creating from a place of personal meaning. It doesn't have to be heavy, just real. Sometimes it seems my voice has been a bit elusive, but now I am beginning to recognize it. I do see lovely authenticity in your work. I think that is appealing. It's nice to have you visit.
And I am loving the snow at the blog. It's so pretty!
ReplyDeleteYes, using one's own work as a spring board to the next piece is something I do most of the time but as a relative newcomer to this vaste world of the internet I can't help feeling overwhelmed by all the different ways of expressing oneself. I want to rush about trying so many new things but at the end of the day what suits me is using my own work as the starting off point. The most wonderful thing about the blog world is finding words that could be my own. Its a way of confirming that I'm on the right track. I am going to enjoy following your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Robyn: I have been visiting your blog for a while now. Your work is rich, and I love seeing the South Africian world through your blog. I am often influenced by someone else's work. Then, somehow I may incooporate a change into my own work based on that influence. It's a lot of processing. I am constantly challanged by this work, my art work. I have just become aware of using my own work as a starting place. I like the idea. From your work, I am reminded to be aware of shapes and patterns. Thanks for visiting. See you again soon!
ReplyDeleteThere's so much to see out there and so much to inspire, the difficult part is capturing some of these resources and being able to incorporate them into your work to make them your own. That's the mark of a true artist. I love what you do, you work is very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteHi Ro: Thanks for coming by. I have done all kinds of things to be true to my own work, and still being okay with feeling the influence of others. One is to journal at times of change. I am not a regular journaler, but to write what I am getting from my art has been good. I make lists of what I am trying to work on, and words that connect with my current series. Then I can use some of those words in titles. I like artist books too, as I notice you do. I'll post some photos in the future.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, I've been thinking along these lines over the past few weeks. My sentiments exactly.
ReplyDeleteAn art professor once announced to us that he had to stop looking at art for a while. (This was before the internet!) He wanted to not be influenced by looking at art. He wanted to get into his studio and become completely clear about his own vision and just follow it wherever it took him.
As I think you do, I try very hard to just tune into the process itself. What I want is to be in a place for "something" to happen almost without my interference. That is where the magic is for me.
Thanks for inspiring me to think about this some more.
Martha: Being clear...what a good idea. Put away the other images and just be fresh. It is Zen like. I'm going to think about that.
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