I have been interested in single brush strokes since I started playing with watercolors in 2015. When considering LINE as a subject that is where my mind went first but there are other ways to interpret line. Here are some of the images that fill my Pinterest Board - Inspiration. I am also considering line in my own work and I have found that lately there is a pull towards more curved line and circles. But strong horizontal or vertical lines still dominate many of the pieces.
I had no intention of being an artist. I was a chef for 15 years but somehow that never felt like a creative outlet. So when I discovered the Women of Strength series, it took me by surprise and it took me over. I painted the women non-stop. So when the manager at West Elm Montreal contacted me about possibly doing a calligraphy workshop {she followed me on instagram}, I told her that I wasn't quite at that level yet.... but I have these paintings... could I show them at a pop-up? I had no idea what I was doing but I knew how to create an event so I focused on that. I sent out invitations to anyone and everyone I could think of, whether or not I knew them personally. I got the paintings framed and packaged, set up my square and waited for the masses to arrive. Oddly enough, they did come and they did buy and that first whirlwind event was my before and after moment. For all of that first year, I said yes to everything presented to me. Can you paint those women in CHOCOLATE? Yes, I used to be a chef, no problem {it turned out to be very challenging but tons of fun!} Can you do live painting at our fashion event? Yes that sounds like fun! Can you paint 10 canvases for an event in Toronto? Absolutely I would love to come to Toronto to paint. {I found out months later that it was for the Canadian launch of Essie's Gel Couture line!!!} In that first year, I said yes to every event that came up and each opportunity reinforced that people enjoyed my work. It was so gratifying to feel like I had finally found that passion that people talk about. I was 40 but I felt like I was 20, I held the world in my hands. I just had to say yes.
It was by no means a typical first year and my years since have not been nearly as full. But it reminds me that there are opportunities waiting for me if I make myself available. That each chance to show brings something. And that one of the reasons I choose to create is to share it with the world. I have to say yes, get uncomfortable, try something different and then say yes to the next thing. There is a bit of a debate about whether or not to discount your work as an artists. It is one of those things that each artists has to decide for themselves. Some artists have a sale going on almost all the time. Others refuse to ever put their work on sale. I put my work on sale several times a year for a few reasons. Number one, I want to make my work accessible to new collectors and seasoned collectors alike. I love it when my clients tell me that this is the first piece of original art they have ever purchased, or when they let their daughter pick a favorite piece for their "big girl room," or when someone tells me that they have been waiting to move into their first place so that they can decorate it with my work. Being the first piece of art in their collection is as special to me as having my work hung in the same home as so many investment pieces. Number two, I paint a lot. Like A LOT. and the moment my studio starts to feel too crowded I either stop painting completely or I start painting over works. So in order to continue to do this thing I love so much, I need works to be moving out of my space. And Number three, because I like to show my appreciation for my clients. When I started painting, I thought that a client would buy my work once and then move on. The fact that so many of my clients continually and repeatedly support my practice means that we have more than just an artist / collector relationship. What do you think about Art on sale? Is it devalue the work or does it inspire you to buy more?
I would love to hear your thoughts, Margaret How do I start the next thing? What is the NEXT THING?!?!?? I started painting as a creative outlet and a way to reduce stress. And yet I tend to stress about what is coming next out of the studio. I think that it is natural for artists. There is an ebb and flow of inspiration in the studio that occurs but it is hard to be out of the studio for any length of time and feel like there is not a distinct direction when you return. My goal in that first year of painting was to be more creative and to put it out there. I really try and return to that when inspiration retreats from view. The point of creating is not that I will make masterpieces every time I approach the easel but that I will keep coming back, that allowing work to develop is a discovery for me, that the process is more important than the results. Staying with that in mind, I quite often paint over works that sit too long in the studio {that's right even your favorite isn't safe from my constant painting} and I look for ways to make play or experiment, trying other artist's techniques on occasionally or working in new color palettes. I try to keep it fun. I recently came across a painter on Youtube who was just so much fun to watch. I think I sat through 7 or 8 videos because he was having so much fun. Of course I learned something along the way {his carrot people were awesome} but more than that it reminded me that this whole things is supposed to be fun. It shouldn't be overly formulaic or made to sell. For me painting is about playing and discovery. The collections develop themselves, I just have to show up and keep painting. This may be why I keep returning to meditation and yoga because they are also both about just showing up. All three are practices. Each help me slow down and let go of control. And that might be the hardest part about starting a new collection, letting go of controlling what it will become and just allowing it to reveal itself.
I'm curious to know what things you do that allow you to unplug from the world and turn off your thoughts for a while. Comment below or send me an email. Margaret I’ve always felt like artwork and décor work together to create a room. That there is a synergy between them that elevates each. Watching over the years, I’ve seen rooms transformed through artwork, new life being roused from decades old furniture, and wall color subtlety shifting depending on the work he hung. Quite often in the design process artwork is left to the end or it finishes a room by matching the décor. I know you want more from your art than just something to coordinate with pillows. You want it to make you feel something. To surprise you when you walk in the room with a detail that suddenly shows itself today. You want your art to remind you of the moment you first saw it or make you feel something that you can’t quite explain. Maybe I have a romantic vision of finding and connecting with a piece over and over. But that’s only because I know it’s possible. The thing is, art like that isn’t at TJ Maxx or Homesense. It often does not match the pillows or bring out the blue in the carpet. Art like that comes from an artist’s studio. It’s been worked on and sometimes battled with. It might be a landscape or a portrait, it could be an explosion of color or softly textured monochrome, it could be hundreds of different styles or themes, but it came from a person. If you really want room changing art you have to find art with life in it. If you really want to personalize your home, the simplest way is to add artwork you connect with. Art that has a story, of where you bought it or how it made you feel when it caught your eye. I promise that if you surround yourself with art that you really love, it will slow you down, bring you contentment, prepare you to take on the day, and maybe be a little happier. Still have questions on how to start? Download the questionnaire below!
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November 2019
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