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WANDERING FAR FROM THE FOLD

9/4/2017 8:51:34 AM | By Susan Blackwood OPA AIS | Comment on this

Okay, so my last blog was about learning new ways of communicating with paint. I hope you got a chance to see my video that goes with it. If you missed it,

here it is again. Be sure to watch the video, too. It fully expresses and expands the blog.

https://www.bellamuseproductions.com/2017/08/28/communication-constantly-changing-susan-blackwood/

So that was my last blog. However, in this blog today, I am going to tell you about my experiences when setting my goals to explore new possibilities. This sounds so simple on the outside and but it is so complex on the inside. Maybe you have or are experiencing the same struggles and victories.

This new drive of mine to evolve started several years ago. So, as soon as I started to get inspiration, make sketches and move in the direction of new paintings, my head immediately started swimming with ideas and questions at the same time. It was a game of ping-pong between my creative side and my logical side.

“That’s a GREAT IDEA – But what if”

“I LOVE this composition and design - But what will my collectors say?”

“This really PRESSES MY BUTTONS - But will it bring in sales”

You get the idea. As soon as an artist steps out of their comfort zone, the little voices in our heads start ARGUING.

Good news, if this is happening to you, too, well, this happens to every single creative person that steps into the unknown. Artists, Writers, Singers, Song Writers, Actors, Musicians, Dancers, even mathematicians, like Einstein, etc., the list is long with the ways that creative people express themselves. All of these mega minds are tormented by change or not to change. For some, it is an easy road. They have built a lifetime of solid growth, slow and steady. They have no desire to jump radically into the unknown and create new patterns. I admire them so much. But for the rest of us, me included, we are restless, on an ever-evolving search for new inspiration, not just in subject matter but also in interpretation. This can be painful for our loyal friends, family, collectors, and galleries. They scratch their heads and wonder why. So, yes, when you grow, they will grow, too, either toward your new work or away from your new creations. Don’t worry; new fans will arrive to fill in the vacant spaces.

In the early 70’s, after several years as a selling pen and ink artist (black and white India ink), I decided to switch and build my career on watercolors. (People, I discovered, love color). Flash forward to 2003, after 32 years of a successful watercolor career with many subdivisions of various subject matter, I decided to find out who I would be as an oil painter. That was 14 years ago and since then my oils have won lots of awards, had a cover and articles in national magazines, etc. It really was a good decision. At the time in 2003, however, I was terrified that it was career suicide. What would happen to my loyal fans and collectors if I laid down my watercolor brushes and picked up the thick, dark and gooey oil paints?

Yes, some fans did definitely tell me, in no uncertain terms, that they loved my watercolors but not my oils. (Even today, a few of my loyal fans cling to my watercolors and are still saying that my watercolors are their favorites. Bless their wonderful loyalty!) Back then, there were two reactions to my new oils: some were shocked and some were absolutely intrigued and thrilled.

I had to open that door and go through it into the black unknown. I had to find out and explore it and I am so glad that I did. (As my dad used to say, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”) Yes, my oils have a very different look than my watercolors, but I brought with it my emotions, my expressions, my communication and my story telling. All the years of watercolors taught me all of those tools, including drawing, good design, color harmony and edge control. The new direction just required me to learn how to tame the thick gooey oil medium. That is a challenge in itself and I read, took workshops, asked a lot of questions and painted miles of canvas. But, WOW, was it worth it.

Yes, I agonized over the change that I was imposing upon myself, but I knew it was the right thing to do, so I pushed on knowing this was going to cut off my galleries, my shows and some of my collectors. In order to make a total plunge into the world of oils, I decided to pry my watercolor brushes out of my hand and lay them down for an entire year. After 12 months I would reevaluate my decision. For one year, every show I entered I applied with my new oils. YIKES! At first I felt like I was starting over as a beginner. A big part of me felt very sad and actually grieved for the loss of my old friend Watercolors. I knew her so well! You know the rest of the story; the year turned out terrific and the choice to grow into another medium has turned out amazingly well. I quickly found my new voice, was accepted into national shows, galleries and the hearts and homes of new collectors. Through the years, I have continued to teach and create oils and watercolors. I am glad that I followed my inner urgings.

Now I am doing it again. No, I haven’t left oils, nor have I left the subjects or color harmonies that I love. But I am evolving into an era of using ALL OF ME – the oils, the watercolors and the line work of pen and ink. So what is changing this time? Instead of being Representational/Impressionistic, I am feeling the pull to be Contemporary and Abstract in my work. These urgings have woven their way through my work for years. I used this in the backgrounds, in the lost and found edges, in the way I emphasized and deemphasized areas of my paintings. It can be seen in my early pen and inks, throughout my watercolor era and with my oils. Now I hope to push this contemporary and abstract side of me more, and they are going to become the strength of my paintings, no matter what medium or subject I use for the painting. I want to combine ALL OF ME and ALL OF MY MEDIUMS.

UPDATE: So I have done 7 of these paintings so far. I am going slow and letting my mind THINK THROUGH the paintings long before I put a mark on the canvas. I am using line work, watercolors, acrylic, and oils: ALL OF ME. Each painting different from the others, yet, each one is related to my past. The exciting part is the reaction that people are feeling when they look at them. Some paintings have a suggestion of subject matter, some are completely abstract. Because these paintings are not totally dependent on the subject matter to tell the viewer what they are seeing and feeling, each person has a different personal interpretation. They may be reacting to the way the colors make them feel, or the textures or the suggestion of links to life. They are bringing to my paintings, their own inner expression. It is a Win Win: Creative for me and creative for the viewer. The exciting part for me is how strongly they sense their feelings when they look at the paintings. Some are still seeking and finding subject matter, some are feeling emotions and some are sensing a connection to my spiritual side. All of them are “getting it”

Final thought: I must admit, in many ways these new paintings are harder for me to do than representational. They are totally dependent upon my design, composition, color harmonies, etc. But I feel so free to use ALL OF ME!

Question: So, have I left the fold? No, I am in deeper than ever before. All of Me and All of MY ART feels really good. Here is the painting that I did this week. WHAT IS YOUR INTERPRETATION OF IT? Stay tuned for more updates as the Creative Nudgings inspire me.