"The greatest tool an artist can use is their emotion!" This is the strongest lesson I brought home from St. Petersburg Russian after a 4 week study trip in 2006. Everything we feel is channeled from our souls and out the end of the paintbrush. We cannot avoid it even if we tried!
“EVERY PAINTING IS A SELF PORTRAIT”
I don't know who to credit this saying to but I have heard it plenty of times in my artistic career and whether one is painting a still life, landscape, animal or figure it rings true! Over the past couple of years I have tested the notion to it fullest and now that I am healing from the pain and incapacity I have suffered I can see it more clearly.
The work I produced in the midst of my pain reflected the inward struggles I faced. For the most part the color was a bit dead, the compositions were off and the values wavered in the middle range. Not every painting came off poorly during this time but I now refer to it as my own personal "Dark Ages". Now I am hoping that history repeats itself and I can enjoy a personal Renaissance!
Recently I was lamenting this period to a new artist friend and she gave me a complete new perspective. She said it was good fortune that I had an outlet for my frustrations and pain. If I did not paint my issues out then they would have bottled up even more. So…I am thankful for my art in a whole new manner and will continue to paint “self portraits” with even more passion and freedom!
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