I'm feeling frustration. Coming back from the Nicholas Simmons workshop and getting all those good ideas for fluid acrylics and wanting to paint big but not having the room. I've got to work on getting the space to really get this feeling out of me!
Go to his blog and take a look at this painting Nick did. He is standing beside it. Do you SEE how big this thing is? Can you imagine the power this has? It's a powerful image when it's small on a computer screen. This is one of my all time favorites of his. La Vida Breve...a short/brief life. Simply gorgeous!!!
And it is a short life. If we aren't painting/creating the way we want to do, we should DO something about it, not just continue in the same style, the same mode, the same surroundings.
OK, that's my rant. I don't feel any better about my little space but maybe I need to rethink what I need in there and what I don't need and do some serious clearing out so I have room to breathe.
What do you do when you feel a slowly building frustration taking hold inside you?
11 comments:
Go ahead and vent - probably won't do any good, since you cannot make your little room bigger - but it will make you feel better for awhile! How about painting on top of that pool table - now that could be a BIG painting! (p.s. I feel your pain - DUH!)
OMG, Jerry would have a fit if I even suggested working on the pool table! ha ha
I'm thinking about removing things from my little art room to make more space...I could do it...if I get energetic/frustrated enough to get cleaning and sorting big time!
Frustration goes hand in hand with being an artist. And there is never enough room it seems.
I've taken over another room next to my current studio and still don't have enough room. I probably never will.
Its more about what you want to produce perhaps than space. Is there somewhere else in your house/garage/basement wherever that you can commandeer for painting space? Can you paint outdoors? Can you rent a space either alone or share with others to create?
Make sure the drive that's pushing for larger space isn't a fleeting moment spurred on by Nick's workshop before you dive in and heave everything out first.
And you could cover the pool table with plastic tarp and use it... Is it in use daily?
I am both lucky and unlucky with my studio space. My studio is in the basement - it is finished and well lit - but still I miss natural light. I have much space and lots of table space for painting and matting and framing. There is room for my computer and television also.
Now - I feel time slipping away from me as I age and am increasingly trying to cram more and more painting into my daily schedules - there is a definite feeling of frustration - so much I want to do and not enough time. I can emphasize with you. I am SO happy when I am painting.
Find a spot outside to paint "big" this summer. Yes, you will have to move your stuff in and out, but you may even find out that working that big is not really something that you like. I have seen pictures of Carol Carter painting on huge pieces of watercolor on the floor...so, a patio. a big door or plywood panel on the grass or against a wall!
Not great suggestions, but probably something worth trying is this is the only way for you to go "really big":-)
Jeanette, you could be right - no amount of room will be enough because I'll just keep cramming more things in it :)
Barb, perhaps the frustration is also aging...I feel time slipping away and wonder what I have left to do...to create. I know, I could have 30 years left, or more! So maybe it's wanting a change for several reasons, not just space.
Christiane, you've hit the answer - paint outside. I can tarp the garage wall and basketball court (it came with the house, I've only played twice in the 15 years we've been here) and maybe give the neighbors something to look at this summer! ha ha
I think I really want to try bigger - not just to go bigger but to make a bigger statement. I know it will be a learning process, too - painting large is not like painting small and I'll have to adapt.
So...another painting adventure!!!
Thanks for letting me whine (without the cheese)!!
Maybe summer is the time of fustration. Mine is not space (I am blessed with a large studio) but one of direction. I definately feel change in the air but nothing that I can grab onto right now. I know how creative you are and that you will find a way to paint BIG!
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Vicki :) I'm sure I'll figure something out. With heat staying in the 90Fs each day, or raining (or both), painting outside may be an autumn option but not a summer one! ha ha
The painting in that photo isn't that big - I'm only 24 inches tall. hah Here are all the places I've done it: basement, garage, patio, driveway, picnic table, kitchen table, dining room table, living room, hotel room beds, on top of the washer and dryer,the floor just about everywhere...painting, that is.:) I think most people can make the space, but won't commit to buying the big roll of paper. Usually on sale at one of the online suppliers @ approx. $100-120. Just do it!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Prabha! I think we all wonder when it's time to go bigger and why we should. I'm feeling that tug a lot and have to work out the details. (Checked out your blog and loved your painting of the Hawaii scene! I'll be back to check again :)
Nick, you made me laugh! Now I think 24 inches is smaller than a hobbit but bigger than a sprite? Or is that smaller than a dishwasher but bigger than a breadbox? You are right about the cost of the paper - it is off-putting. La Vida Breve is my all time favorite of your paintings so far - no matter how many times I see it, it never fails to take my breath away. Hey, once I buy the paper, I'm committed to making it work, right?
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