Is this what I’m supposed to do?
Do you ever feel that you’re supposed to be doing something in a different way? Or have you been thinking that you’re not sure what you should be doing next? These are thoughts that I’ve been experiencing, and I seem to be at a crossroad of sorts.
Last year, I participated in the SuperFine Art Show in San Francisco. It was a pay-to-play event, and it was somewhat pricey. After tallying up the earnings from the artwork I sold there, the total amount did not even cover what I spent to participate in the show. I will not be participating in that particular show again in the near future, at least until I figure out a few things about my artwork and what I would want to show there.
It seemed like most of the people who were collecting artwork at that show were either buying paintings of people, or abstracts. I began to question myself. (Self-doubt is always trying to sneak in, isn’t it?)
These were some of the questions burning in my mind: should I create more abstract art?
If I create more abstract art, should I then go back to that particular show to see if my abstract art sells?
Side quest…
There is a philosophy that artists should paint what they love to paint and not necessarily just paint what sells. But I suppose it depends on what the goal is as an artist. Am I creating because I’m passionate about it and have a need to create? Or do I create art because I have output and feelings to process, and artwork is the best way to express those? Am I an artist because I want to sell my creations and want art to be my career and more of a commercial thing?
I think this article is full of more questions than answers!
All of these questions made me wonder if I should be doing abstract artwork. I used to dislike abstracts and never really understood them until I went to art college and studied some of the more famous abstract artists.
I decided to take a stab at that style of art, using watercolors in a larger format, on 18” x 24” watercolor paper. Once I began experimenting, I fell in love with powder watercolors and the organic outcome that I discovered when painting with them.
I Willed it to Life (Blue Inferno #4), 18” x 24”, Watercolor
You can see more examples of abstract watercolors on my website.
I would love to paint more abstract acrylic pieces, but I don’t have a lot of space for that because acrylic painting is messy and splatters quite a bit. Last year, I took a short online course and tried some acrylic abstracts, with interesting results, but I definitely want and need to gain more experience painting with acrylics in the future.
These are all acrylic.
Hope, 28″ x 22″ (top left)
But wish I knew that number, 10″ x 10″ (top right)
A Wave of Sound, 20″ x 16″ (bottom left)
Again, there are more examples on my website.
I still have a lot to learn about abstract painting, and there is a lot of experimenting that I want to do. I also feel that I have a lot of growth ahead of me. But I would love to know what you think.
Should I create more abstract artwork?