Abstract and the Artist.

When you use a term like Abstract Art, most people don't know that the term refers to a specific genre. Abstract Art is not the same as Abstract Expressionism, nor is it a dead art form (like Dada). Abstract art is created when the artist selects a subject and then exaggerates or simplifies the forms therein. The most commonly known examples of Abstract art or Abstraction are the cubist works of Pablo Picasso.
Now that we're clear on that, I can move on to tell you that I am doing a series of abstract works based on the trees around our house. (Pictures to come, eventually)
I can also tell you that I've run out of gesso and white paint (it's hard to make gray without white), so a trip to the art supply store is clearly in order. I have 2 blank canvases I hope to fill before April runs out.
I am having difficulties in the area of time management, due to the fact that I am tyranted over by a 5-month-old child. (You can read about that here)
Below you'll find an image that I created using a computer program and some digital images. I really enjoy using the program, but I find myself unable to commit to doing a series on the computer. I find it not as satisfying as the art forms that require you to get dirty (paint, clay, printmaking). There's something immensely gratifying to me about being paint (or clay) spattered at the end of the day. It makes me feel as though I've accomplished something.

Digital image created using Photoshop Image Ready 2.0 

Art and me.

Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I wasn't sure how one became an artist, but that's what I wanted to do. I come from a family of art-inclined folks, and they were very encouraging when I expressed an interest in art. I can't remember a birthday or Christmas that went by and I didn't receive some sort of art-related gift. Painting was it for me. I loved the colors, the feel of the paint as it gripped the canvas.
When I was in highschool, I took art classes on the weekends and looked at art colleges. My father suggested that I get a B.A. rather than a B.F.A., so that's how I wound up attending Roanoke College. I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot in the way of self-discipline and scheduling time for art. I also was introduced to my second passion: clay. Man, I love that stuff. I love that it has a will of it's own, that it offers resistance. Paint doesn't fight you the way 10 pounds of clay will.
So the challenge I have now is how to incorporate both clay and paint.
It's a challenge I look forward to facing (after our move--I'm not hauling a couple hundred pounds of raw clay 2,000 miles).

Hello and Welcome!

Hello!

I decided to create a separate space for art-related in my life. My other blog is mainly for family and friends--a way to keep from telling the same story a million times over.
Here is where I'll post art work and keep a running tab on my art-self and art career (currently on hold).

Thanks for stopping by.
Kara