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I am currently reading The Mission of Art by Alex Grey. I am probably about a third of the way through the book and it has made me realize how unintentionally inauthentic I have been in my artwork.
That isn't to say that the things I have created are useless. They have been things that have helped me develop skills I need. But the problem is that I am peddling these things as if they are "art". In the shallow sense of the word, yes, these pieces are "art". But in the sense that art has a mission, or intention, they are not.
As I am reading this book, I have a flash of an image in my mind that I am inspired to create, but it is literally sitting in shadows. I can't see the full piece in my mind's eye. I don't know how much gestation will be required before it comes forward. I only know that I need to break the procrastination-anxiety loop and get to work. Maybe the concept will make its way out of my mind if I start working. What I know about this image is that it is also accompanied by feeling. The feeling of a paint brush making broad strokes on a hardwood panel. That is what I feel. I see burnt sienna going across the the panel in large quarter circle motions to compose the background and a large rectangular "pillar" in the foreground. Stained glass and a face. That's all I can see. The face is now slack-jawed.
I took a second to try and sketch this out. I don't know... I have lost my train of thought, so I am going to post this for posterity.
That isn't to say that the things I have created are useless. They have been things that have helped me develop skills I need. But the problem is that I am peddling these things as if they are "art". In the shallow sense of the word, yes, these pieces are "art". But in the sense that art has a mission, or intention, they are not.
As I am reading this book, I have a flash of an image in my mind that I am inspired to create, but it is literally sitting in shadows. I can't see the full piece in my mind's eye. I don't know how much gestation will be required before it comes forward. I only know that I need to break the procrastination-anxiety loop and get to work. Maybe the concept will make its way out of my mind if I start working. What I know about this image is that it is also accompanied by feeling. The feeling of a paint brush making broad strokes on a hardwood panel. That is what I feel. I see burnt sienna going across the the panel in large quarter circle motions to compose the background and a large rectangular "pillar" in the foreground. Stained glass and a face. That's all I can see. The face is now slack-jawed.
I took a second to try and sketch this out. I don't know... I have lost my train of thought, so I am going to post this for posterity.
