A Different Path for an Artist

"Junkyard Reverie" a posterized photo of a scene that shows the best of a junk shop stroll

About a year ago I got a job - other than teaching art, selling art, or working part-time retail. If you want to know what I discovered about my art, I'll tell you: the confidence imparted by a place in a creative industry, and the slightly more secure financial spot inspired me to instantly drop the paintings and projects which did not inspire me. I was done...painting what I apparently didn't want to paint.

I hadn't been aware that I wasn't so interested anymore in realism. I had been saying for five or ten years that I was enjoying exploring abstraction in my paintings, but I hadn't admitted that realism or even impressionism wasn't inspiring me any more as a means to grab my attention, or that of my viewer.

What is grabbing my attention now? Paintings, photography and even cartooning which have a story. It's obvious to any art student who has paid attention to her teachers that art requires a story, but I had gotten lost in a couple of decades of selling paintings and accepting commissions. My art had become "what can I paint for you?"

I still love realist art and impressionist art, because when I see a painting that has an amazing story or composition I have that much more respect for the talents of the artist. But for me, the artistic process has started all over again in an artistic childhood. I'm exploring color and a toolbox of techniques including painting knives when I'm using oils or acrylics, and filters and adjustments when I'm sifting through my photographs. I hope to describe my artistic journey a bit more in this blog and in the art I create.

Thanks for taking a look, and I hope you enjoy examining what inspires you visually and why.

Susan

www.sketchroom.etsy.com

www.susankennedy.com