Finding the right medium

[Soltarianknight]

Let me start by saying that I am no where near as skilled as most of what I have seen on this site, at least, not with visual renderings (more of a writer myself). However, I have always loved to draw and paint at random even if none of it was fridge worth XP. In the past few years though I started experimenting with the various mediums available to me. I started with graphite, like most bored highschoolers and moved on to color pencils and water color. None of it really felt right though and I wasn't really feeling what I created, sure some of it was pretty and colorful, but it really had no meaning to me. Makes me feel like a artist trapped in a body that can't actually create the art.

I delved into oil pastels and oils for a long time. Created some pretty flowers or night depictions, thought they were amazing and for me, they were. Still though, I can't really get a feel for them and oils were just too simple to use(not really sure how to explain that in the right context, just that what I made didn't extract much skill). So I put those away too. I took a break from the easel for a while, also why I havn't been on in a while.

Recently though I picked up two of my Christmas gifts(i got loaded with them for Christmas, hundreds of paints, oils, water colors, about 20 different sketch books, 2 easels and some cases, most of this I have little use for sadly -_-). My friend wanted something for her birthday, she really liked my watercolor style. Once I found the perfect picture to draw her, a recreation of the album cover of her favorite album (we planted the seed by WCAR), I spent about 4 days figuring out what to do with it. Ended up picking up my willow charcoal and soft pastel chalks, neither of them were high grade but hey, free art supplies. What did happen was that I recreated the cover using the chalks in about 50 minutes. Something i hadn't done before. Another thing I could never get the hang of with other mediums was shading and layering as well as highlighting. The piece looked great and also felt great to draw. I could have put more into it but by that time i was tinkering with it so i stopped myself. Packaged it up and brought it to her the next day. She liked it, the end. ^-^

I didn't plan on drawing again but I did. Boy did i. I sat down at 2pm yesterday with my chalks and charcoal, I finished my 10th piece at around 11pm. Didn't even break for food. Ended up covered in chalk dust XD. But I think the point is that I finally found the right medium to outlet my artistic frustrations(?).

So It leaves me wondering, did anyone else on here have an interesting time deciding how/what the wanted to create?

[wizard3]

I love to get dirty in mediums. I do so now in river mud and muck. I sculpt from what I find on the Neosho River and its tributaries. That includes everything from gemstones to driftwood. It even includes the skulls and bones of monstrously huge fish.

One should never choose a medium anymore. Use them all with abandon. Preserve the results digitally and the work will last forever.


My NEOSHO

[ehoeveler]

Hi, Wizard - Lemme get you to move your Raven picture
back to your own thread, if you would. We're talkin' mediums, here.
Thanks, E

[Soltarianknight]

Of course some people use everything and anything, i didn't mean to exclude that either, just for me, I prefer to stick to something that lets me create what i feel or something like that. I dunno, i'm a weirdo i suppose. On a side note though, I have done quite a few carvings from drift wood, and love doing so. It is more of a side hobby when i'm out walking or hiking. Never found a bone big enough to use though.

[ehoeveler]

Deborah Butterfield constructs the most beautiful
forms of Horses, mainly. She uses small to medium tree
branches along with a minimal bronze skeletal system.
Google her - really, really good. E

[wizard3]

I am going to leave these boards now... with just one more point you most will not get. You are seeing art a certain way locking you out of what art is. I did abide by your rule and remove that image but it was posted to make you all think... Think... THINK.

Art is NOT creating anything. That is a law of physics. No thing can be created nor destroyed. Not even this universe. There is not even a BIG BANG origin to creation. That term, like "god particle", is meant as a joke among those who know better. Those who do understand art and physics see this so called creation as a "breath" among many being pulled through a narrow vortex from one vast expanse into another. Physicist now know that this "throat" to our universe that preceded this so called "Big Bang" can now be measured back to the size of a human hand... but only because of the limitations of our ability to see and calculate. It is likely infinitely smaller.

Art is EXPRESSION... just as this universe expresses forth as though breath from a throat. The more you fully appreciate that the better you will EXPRESS.

Art has nothing to do with manipulating a medium. It is about taking all that is before you in your life and processing that through yourself as the throat to EXPRESS the breath that is ART.

In the art of jewelry we still certify. I am a certified master. I am considered a master in other medium as well where the certification is less formal. If you expect to learn it is not wise to snub a master when they attempt to teach for free. We just go away.

A master will not pat you on the head and say, oh how pretty. I must have broken a rule there. We teach. We make you better at what you do. These boards are fast becoming the enemies of art. They are hurting rather than helping the real aspirant. The snub here has lead to a decision. I will be launching an alternative to this kind of forum that will offer real help to those who honestly want to improve as artists. I wanted to so here but see now it would not be welcome. I am changing my present websites to update to the new web capabilities and will announce on them by end of May a new forum that will offer the best art instruction on the web in everything from acrylic painting, etching, engraving, and the ancient classics on one end of the spectrum to Blender, ShiVa, and all of Adobe on the other.

Goodbye.

[Soltarianknight]

Alright Aristotle, calm down. Not everyone wants to discuss art on the deepest of philosophical levels at all times, bringing it back a bit can make for better casual conversation. I did not come here seeking a master, there is no master. You, nor anyone, will ever be the best at what they do. Arrogance to claim mastery over an artform is just that, arrogance. Some people just paint for fun, sue em. Others pour themselves into spectacular pieces like the one you posted. Some people may take a day to create a masterpiece, some may take a year. If you can recognize that you are not a know all end all to the expression then good for you. However, there is no standard. The value of an art piece starts at its value to the artist. If you create something and you enjoy it and like what the outcome was, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of it. Art should not be valued by where it is seen and who sees it, or how much it sells for. Sure, those are nice happenings and definitely some cool stuff is seen through them but that only raises their physical value. If you create something for the public, with no reason but to please the people, then it is not worth less to me then the crayon drawing of flowers that my younger sister posted on the fridge, because at least she enjoyed drawing them and put her heart into it.

So I repeat, i did not come here to pick a fight or get in the middle of whatever your issue with the forum is, and perhaps you are right, or perhaps not. I am here to talk about art and artists and their inspirations and aspirations. Good day.

For the record, I am a DB fan. she creates the most amazing pieces from the barest of earth materials, she brings life back from death when using driftwood. She is also an example of someone who has chosen a focus ad is using different mediums to express it.

[ehoeveler]

Dear Wizard, we love all kinds of art at ASC, including yours.
Your staffs are amazing and point of view interesting if a bit murky at times.
I hope you change your mind about leaving.
Soltarian, Thanks for your wonderful descriptions of Butterfield's work.
It just like that, isn't it? Bringing life back from death. E

[rhknigh]

Some folks find one medium that just makes their soul sing and they need no other.

While others such as this artist - http://www.zittel.org/index.php make me realize an artist is not necessarily attached to a particular medium, because their art is an expression only limited to their particular skill sets. Andrea Zittel uses art in many different ways, so it makes sense that she also uses various mediums, as interactions with her environment(s).

[ehoeveler]