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  • #466941

    I have a friend who taught me a lot about art. One of her first questions to me was: what is your goal and which art work inspires you? This helped her decide how to teach and critique my attempts at creating art.
    Other questions arose as to what medium do I prefer or what subject matter am I good at. My answer was animals. But animals are in a landscape and butterflies are on flowers and dogs play with children and cats sit on windowsills! So I wanted it all:angel:
    I had already started with graphite and oils and a little bit of wc. Why stick to something you know if you can get to grips with pen, ac and OP’S?
    Composition, color, value, chroma, techniques, rules, suggestions – at times rather confusing but so helpful towards the end goal.
    My goal is realism from miniature to large and am still working towards it:clear:
    Some of my favorite artists are Bierstadt, Michael James Smith, Rebecca Latham, Richard William Trost, Andrew Tischler, Lisa Lachri, Jason Morgan, etc.

    My question to you:
    What inspires you and what are your art goals?

    Christel

    #754975
    SarahY
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        You really do rock at animals, tuscanny!

        An interesting thread. Mine has changed over the years. Throughout my childhood and into my teenage years it was animals, animals, animals. I used graphite pencils, conte pastels, and soft pastels. Then I got really interested in colour and composition over subject matter and moved into abstract with oil paints. This is something I still love.

        Discovering oil pastels six years ago was a big catalyst for change and productivity. I could paint anywhere, any time.

        I discovered the beauty of the human form from an artistic perspective; the way light and shadows play over the shapes.

        Now I’m interested in the world in which we live. Not so much physically, but emotionally and spiritually. How advancements in living conditions have made us sadder and more lonely.

        My goals? Just to always improve and evolve. For 2019 particularly, I plan to be much more experimental. Allow myself to fail and produce crap in the effort to make a new path with my figure painting.

        My favourite artists are Christian Hetzel, Anselm Kiefer, Alexander Tinei, Andrew Salgado.

        http://www.shyeomans.co.uk
        \m/ neue deutsche härte \m/
        Nothing left but smoke and cellar, and a woman with a black umbrella...

        #754962

        Very interesting Sarah. I had a look at your fav artists. It looks as if the figure and abstract are your strong point now.

        Christel

        #754941
        Rich A
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            Excellent thread and great way to get to know everyone!

            Christel, you definitely got that realism going for you. I always look forward to see your work.

            Sarah – Love the emotion in your male figure series. That and the ability to render human form w/o a reference is awesome.

            #754942
            Rich A
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                I have several goals for 2019. Here are a few… Complete 180 paintings. Exposure/market and sell more. Re-do my website from ground up. Teach/educate through Youtube and instagram. Get my work in another Gallery.

                I’m inspired by opportunity, as a door has opened in my life that has allowed me to paint full time now.

                I been drawing since grade school. I was that quiet kid in the back of the class, drawing the entire time. In high-school, I got into painting with tempura and acrylics. I knew then that Art school was where I wanted to be following high school….Well, that never happened..

                I was 21 when my daughter was born and we didn’t have money. So I worked, sometimes working two jobs.. I gained technical skill and got really good with computers and end-user support. That did well for me financially, but I was not painting, drawing, or doing anything artistically in my life. In fact throughout my twenties and early thirties, I didn’t paint or draw a single thing.

                So I think around age 33, I started again with Acrylics. I remember how scared I was to actually paint something as I feared that I lost all my skills. I did many acrylic pieces. Got into oils painting and really loved it. But my work was inconsistent, sometimes not painting for several months in a row. That 9-5 grind, raising kids and home takes a lot out of you. I just didn’t have the drive or energy to paint consistently.

                Everything changed in 2017. I retired from my job of 17 years (career really). My wife’s business grew and became too big for her to do it alone. She’s a hairstylist but only cuts curly hair. So she’s created this niche in a high demand market. Anyways, the demand has been huge and we opened our first “brick and mortar” salon in July 2018.

                This door opened for me and everyday I’m grateful for the opportunity. This is my inspiration – opportunity. Since retiring I made it my life mission to “master” the oil pastels. What I mean by that is, I’m challenging myself to give it my absolute best effort. To give it my all and be able to render anything alla prima. I feel oil pastels are the perfect hybrid medium between drawing and painting, and it fits me perfectly coming from a drawing background.

                I’m attracted to impressionism and my all time favs are the masters; Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh (although I think of him more expressionist). And my Great, great grandfather Juan Francisco Gonzales (Considered a master impressionist from Chile). I have an original of his in my studio right next to my easel. I feel his legacy runs through me.

                Since being consistent with my work, it has greatly improved skill, ease, and confidence. All of which feeds my inspiration.

                #754963

                Your goals and motivation are very inspiring! I do hope we see all of those 180 paintings here in the forum.

                Christel

                #754976
                SarahY
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                    Excellent thread and great way to get to know everyone!

                    Christel, you definitely got that realism going for you. I always look forward to see your work.

                    Sarah – Love the emotion in your male figure series. That and the ability to render human form w/o a reference is awesome.

                    Thank you very much! :heart:

                    http://www.shyeomans.co.uk
                    \m/ neue deutsche härte \m/
                    Nothing left but smoke and cellar, and a woman with a black umbrella...

                    #754982
                    terriks
                    Default

                        What a fun thread! I’ve enjoyed reading about everyone’s art evolution and goals.

                        We have a terrific variety of styles here. Christel does rock at animals, there’s no doubt! Realism is a natural goal for her, but I think she’s got a pretty good grasp of it already. ;)

                        Sarah, I’m always intrigued by your paintings and the emotions from your subjects. It’s going to be fun watching you experiment this year – though somehow I don’t think we’ll see a lot of “crap,” as you put it! :lol:

                        Rich, you have such an interesting past that has led you to OP’s. I always look forward to your impressionist paintings, and greatly appreciate your WIPs and the interest you have in sharing your process. I hope to see a lot more videos over the year!

                        Terri

                        Film photographer with special love for alternative photographic processes - especially ones that get my hands dirty!

                        #754981
                        terriks
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                            My own inspiration comes a lot from the encouragement I’ve received from everyone here. You all are very open and helpful with your comments and critiques, which I value very much! :grouphug:

                            My own artistic background is in photography – specifically, analog/film photography. With my B&W negatives in hand, I can create my own prints in a darkroom. But straight images from a negative has never excited me as much as using alternative photographic techniques – techniques that have been around for over 100 years.

                            Here are a few examples of my previous work. It’s easier to show them than explain them! ;) Since losing my access to a darkroom, however, I can’t do much these days with the chemistry involved in some of these processes. But looking at these prints shows that I have always had an interest in impressionism, by turning straight photographic images into something else.

                            A bromoil print is made from a regular B&W print that has been bleached of all its silver halides. The image can only reappear by the application of stiff lithographic inks, using a stiff hogshair brush, which gives them a charcoal-sketch kind of look.

                            A bromoil:

                            Here is a regular B&W silver gelatin print, from an infrared film negative, that I hand painted with photo oils:

                            Here’s a regular print from infrared film, which gives soft, glowing effects and blackened skies:

                            And here are a couple from my work with Polaroid film, now discontinued. (A knife to my heart!) :heart:
                            This is a photo of my box cameras. With Time-Zero film, I could manipulate the emulsion into impressionist shapes. I then scanned the Time Zero print and printed it onto photo paper and hand colored it:

                            Another Polaroid film process was emulsion lifts, where you could peel off the fragile emulsion that held the image, attach it to a new substrate, and manipulate it however you wished. I took photos of old US coins for these:


                            To say this photo-girl is like a fish out of water with OP’s is putting it mildly! :lol: But my interest in art has always been towards the impressionist or surreal. Until I started trying to sketch out drawings for OPs, I’d never drawn before (my early stuff proves that). I’m drawn to artists like van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Chegall – bold colors, outlines, also softer colors and textures.

                            This year I hope to continue doing more of my own work, as opposed to learning how to handle OPs by copying these and other masters.

                            Terri

                            Film photographer with special love for alternative photographic processes - especially ones that get my hands dirty!

                            #754943
                            Rich A
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                                Terri, these are all really eye catching. Amazing…The second one, you showed that before. I really like it. I can look at that for a long time. Also, is that you in the first bromoil?

                                #754944
                                Rich A
                                Default

                                    Your goals and motivation are very inspiring! I do hope we see all of those 180 paintings here in the forum.

                                    I counted and I did exactly 100 paintings in 2018. So 180 for 2019 will be quite the challenge. It averages to about 3.5 every week.

                                    #754945
                                    Rich A
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                                        Rich, you have such an interesting past that has led you to OP’s. I always look forward to your impressionist paintings, and greatly appreciate your WIPs and the interest you have in sharing your process. I hope to see a lot more videos over the year!

                                        Thank you! I appreciate that. Youtube videos are coming. First one will be in a couple weeks.

                                        #754964

                                        Terri – an interesting background which helps get the creativity flowing. I love seeing your photography work.

                                        Christel

                                        #754983
                                        terriks
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                                            Thank you, Christel! It’s easier showing it than explaining how it has affected my preferences with OP’s.

                                            Rich, it’s not me, but a photo I took of two of my friends, Tara and Jay. Thanks for the kind words!

                                            Wow, 100 paintings last year. That’s some impressive output! I feel like I’ve been productive if I get 3 done in a month. :lol:

                                            Terri

                                            Film photographer with special love for alternative photographic processes - especially ones that get my hands dirty!

                                            #754999
                                            Mira
                                            Default

                                                Fascinating thread! ^__^
                                                Great to get to know everyone a little better :)

                                                Christel, you rock not only at animals, but at pretty much everything you paint =D landscapes, still life, portraits, cityscapes – you are great at all genres! I really like that you work in lots of different directions. I remember seeing your work “Boomer in denial” (which I keep calling bummer in denial :lol: by mistake, of course) and being struck by the way you captured his face.
                                                You are so good at realism already, I don’t even know if it’s possible to get even better :lol:

                                                Sarah, it’s very cool to see how goals change with the flow of time. Looking forward to your experiments! :) Love the smooth texture of your works and the way you work with colors :)

                                                Rich, what a great story! I remember reading part of it on your instagram. Very quick development and what a commitment! You know, 180 paintings is probably more than some famous artists done in their whole life :D I hope you will also become a famous artist and looking forward to seeing more of your development. I’m sure you’ll do just great!
                                                Juan Francisco Gonzales – I’ve looked up his name, is it the one called Juan Francisco Gonzales Escobar? It’s so inspiring to be related to a famous artist and have this work next to your easel! :smug:

                                                Terri, very unusual and fascinating hobby! I have never heard of it until you talked about it in some thread. It sounds very cool. It’s great that you found a way to keep your artistic side going :)
                                                From the old threads I can see you are quickly developing, so hope to see lots of your works in your own style ;)

                                                I love oil pastels and have created a blog about this medium. While the blog posts are in Russian, still I invite you to get inspired with various artists' beautiful OP paintings in my blog's gallery: https://oilpastelist.wordpress.com/gallery

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