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1/02/2009

The Limits of Art

I have learned something I think should have been obvious. And it wasn't. And it speaks to certain limitations I enjoy as a person. Sometimes I don't see the obvious and it needs to jump up and bite me before I do. SWMBO tells me that all men are like that - but I don't think that necessarily true. Not ALL men.

Anyway, what I learned was to do with Art. And how personal a person's art is. What I mean is, there are limits to a person's Art. Not every artist is capable of producing all types or kinds of Art. Jackson Pollock's abstract art is totally beyond me - to understand or to emulate. The Art of a Rembrandt or a Reubens is beyond me, as well. There are people who can draw, with a pencil, such things that they look like a photograph. Not me. There are limits to what I can do and there are subjects I will probably never be able to undertake.

What I have also found, though, is that half the fun of finding one's Art within one's self, is exploring those limits and pushing at the boundaries - to find out just how solid they are. And where my Art will let me go.

I will soon be ready to publish and ship the "Pay It Forward" prizes to my three winners. Exploring has been fun - it's time to fish or cut bait.

Ndinombethe.

23 comments:

Jientje said...

Wow, you sound very inspired!
And I am very curious to find out what came out of it by exploring and pushing boundaries!
That reminds me that I have to get serious about mine as well. I'm better equipped now, all I need next is the time to really sit down and focus on it for a while. But that won't happen before next week. *sigh*

Anonymous said...

On such a younger and smaller scale, I look around my living room as you write about how personal an individual's art is.

My living room is still decorated for Christmas - the walls covered with my 3-year old twin girls holiday art - and it's so cool to see the individuality in each piece. One project, given the same supplies and what you get is two totally different artistic personalities.

That said, they must have got their Daddy's genes because I have no art within myself! You would laugh at my attempts. Having children is awesome because I got the chance to colour with crayons again - something I'm good at, lol.

Shadow said...

art is so personal. it has to be for it to come from the heart and soul of the artist! looking foward to your outcomes...

Patsy said...

Have you found that limit or are you still exploring looking for the limit? I'm curious to see the art being paid forward.

Be well, friend.

Anonymous said...

So much has happened over the past couple of weeks.

So much has made me put my camera down because I was handicapped by the pain in my heart.

So much made me not want to capture that time in my life.

Thankfully so much has changed over the past couple of days.. and I cannot wait to get behind my lens again.

It is amazing how the desire to create art runs through my veins. And even if it just a silly picture of my boys doing nothing.. I NEED to do it now..

Sorry for the long comment. but I get it.

I cannot wait to see what you paid forward..

Cathy said...

I totally agree. Art is individual and you have to find your own voice and feel good about it. But the act of creativity is what I love.

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written and so true. Before blogging and taking the time to take pictures or write again, the little bit of art that lives within me was completely dormant. Now, I know there is something in there, not something of huge greatness necessarily, but there is art. Even in me. And I enjoy experiencing it and also seeing what others have to share. Good stuff.

Anonymous said...

Art is wonderful and personal indeed. Pushing the boundaries. So true!

witchypoo said...

Art is a process. As you journey on your path, your limits do expand and you find your artistic voice.

Unknown said...

Dear Lou,

Honeylamb, I have learned that my OWN personal art would best be done by someone else!

Like a butterfly, I flit from idea to creative idea - my artistic gift, only to find out after the fact that my attempts are puny and only shored up by my enthusiasm.

ACEOs for instance, turned out a batch of silly fiber monstrosities from a rather good idea of layered small works. My 'Flasher' series is case in point: Tiny coats of fabric with buttons and other bits of glitz open to reveal..... stickers and beads of unrelated junk. Just awful.

My only success seems to be with pure lint and fiber - my Dream Coats still evoke sighs and gasps and pictures taken with. Figures. My New York Aunt Lee told me I'd be more content behind my sewing machine than using the 5 plus years of college I've had.

She was right, the twit. And so are YOU, a NON-twit! We each have to do our own thing, the one that gives us the most bang for our time buck. It ain't good trying to follow the latest trend in art fashion if you do poorly at it.

THAT, my friend is truly recognizing one's limits!

Your Southern friend,
Dina

Unknown said...

Jientje: We will all wait to see what you do.

EternallyHuckdoll: Cool. Coloring with crayons is creative and fun.

Shadow: Yes. Very personal. I hope my 'outcomes' prove to be worth waiting for.

Patsy: The limits are still forming - at least, that's the only way I can explain it. And the Art will be up, soon.

Kim: Long comments are fine. Just fine. You can comment as long as you like, anytime you like. I'm sorry to hear of some recent trouble - but glad it seems to have passed. And I'm glad you get it.

Cathy: Ah yes. The act of creativity. Yes. I love it, too. Wait a minute. We ARE talking about the same thing here, right?

Maggie's Mind: Thank you, Maggie. There is Art in all of us - it's finding it and giving it expression that is the challenge.

Nicole: Like I said - we each have our own Art - yours, by the way, is lovely.

Witchypoo: Yes. A process. And it takes work and practice and effort and confidence.

Queenlint1: Thank you, Dina. And you are so right.

moneythoughts said...

Wow! Are you getting intellectual on me, or what. At our age, I thought we were just having fun painting and drawing a few pictures. Creating art is a vast subject that circles the globe. While not every group or tribe of people creates art to be hung on the wall, all peoples create art in their daily lives. Art is not limited to what the Art Mafia says it is. Who is the Art Mafia? Well, that is a story for another time. Not everyone can draw like Dali or Andrew Weyth, But that dosen't mean they are not artists. Look at many internationally known artists' work, none draw or paint like Rembrandt. Rothco, Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns, or any number of artists from the 1950's on. Art is much more than drawing or painting life in a representation way. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his life time, yet, no one would say he wasn't an artist. The work of the outsider artist is rarely recognized in their life time. As the Nike commercial says, "just do it!"

Unknown said...

I have nothing witty or ground breaking to add. Just that I love you and can't wait to see the Pay it Forward projects you did.

Michael said...

The art in me is retiring from writing about people, i am going to stop taking others inventory and concentrate on myself in 2009.
I am glad you are watching over me

Suzanne said...

To me, the beauty of the art lies as much in the piece of your soul that you share nearly as your abilities.

Like the previous poster, I wasn't in the mood to create art for the pay it forward. The new year has restored my optimism and my media of choice comes out on Tuesday when the kids go back to school.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

I didn't realize you were doing the 365 blogging thing. Are you INSANE? If you weren't before, are you NOW???

Hope you do continue to write. It's been interesting to read you, and I only just found your site a while ago!

Unknown said...

Moneythoughts: In an effort to find something I can do that will live longer than I will (aside from making sons) I have hopes for my Art. Or maybe my writing. Or my photography. Or maybe I will fail at them all. But I WILL have fun trying.

Hyphen Mama: Thank you. I love you, too. But I'm still working on my projects.

Michael: Well done, Michael. And yes, I will be watching.

Suzanne: Be sure to let us see what you create.

Tracey: Thank you, Tracey. That's sweet. I won't be blogging every day - unless I want to.

MommyTime said...

This is a great post. It's so important to remember this, too, for all of us who yearn to create things beautiful. We have to stay true to our talents and to our inner voices, and then what we produce will be as artistic as anything could be. Thank you for this.

MissyBoo said...

Happy New Year, Lou.

I am looking forward to seeing your art. I think it should be something that reflects the personality of the artist in someway, and that is why you have certain limitations. In a way to help you create your own personal style...

Hah! What do I know about??? Nothing

Audubon Ron said...

As a guitarist, the issue for me is lots of practice. The imitation part makes for a new lick here and there. We call those chops. I was instructed by a teacher who said I should always play the music on the sheet as originally intended at least once, then the song is mine. For me, I can always count on my own feelings and interpretation to eventually surface.

Audubon Ron said...

As a guitarist, the issue for me is lots of practice. The imitation part makes for a new lick here and there. We call those chops. I was instructed by a teacher who said I should always play the music on the sheet as originally intended at least once, then the song is mine. For me, I can always count on my own feelings and interpretation to eventually surface.

Julie said...

Yeah. We went from 100 degrees above zero to ten below. In a few short months. I have trouble wrapping my head around it myself sometimes. THe whole desert thing seems really far away and strange to me now. But I loved it when I was there...

Which is why I can't imagine Mark and I settling down in one spot any time soon...how can I choose just one place to live when I loved living in the desert (although I hated it too, the heat was awful), and I love living in almost arctic conditions. It's ten below, your boogers freeze when you are outside for just a few minutes. But I love it.

Hmm. Maybe a new post in this for me...

Any way...Art. It was really hard for me to not belittle my own art by calling my room a craft room instead of a studio, back in the days when I bogarted the teeny basement room for my art stuff. See, even now I have trouble calling it art instead of crafting or farting around, because I don't paint or do pottery or another traditional "art".

But what I make with my fabrics and papers and beads and rubber stamps and stuff are not cookie cutter crafts, either. They are not crafty little things that anyone could do, they are very personal and individual.

Some of it is crafty stuff. But some of it is more, it is artistic and imaginative and different. Which makes it art. Which is really hard to say.

Whew.

Enough randomness. I am anxious to see the art you create in 2009!

Momisodes said...

Very well said. It is quite a journey trying to find one's Art within one's self. I'm still searching.
I cannot wait to see how you've pushed yourself and explored new limits.