Starting a New Body of Art: Embracing Evolution and Intentionality
Embarking on a new body of artwork is both an exhilarating and daunting experience. It’s a journey that requires reflection, intention, and a willingness to push boundaries while staying true to your artistic voice. Here, I’ll share some thoughts on how to navigate this process, focusing on assessing past work, allowing space for personal expression, and adopting a more disciplined approach to color.
Reflecting on the Past: Learning from Previous Works
Before diving into new creations, it’s essential to take a step back and critically assess your previous body of work. This retrospective look is not just about appreciating what you’ve done but understanding the underlying elements that worked and those that didn’t.
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Take time to analyze the pieces that resonated most with you and your audience. What themes, techniques, or elements consistently stand out? Conversely, identify any recurring issues or aspects that felt less successful. This balanced reflection helps you carry forward your strengths and address areas for growth.
Keeping What Works: Once you’ve pinpointed the successful elements, think about how you can integrate these into your new work. This might be a particular brushstroke technique, a compositional style, or a recurring motif that has become a signature part of your art.
Letting Go: Equally important is the decision to leave behind what no longer serves your vision. This might be specific color choices, certain themes, or methods that you’ve outgrown. Shedding these elements can be liberating and make room for new ideas to flourish.
Creating Space for Personal Expression
Art is a deeply personal form of expression, and it’s crucial to maintain a sense of freedom in your creative process. Here’s how you can ensure that your personal voice continues to shine through:
Embracing Spontaneity: While planning is important, allow yourself moments of spontaneity where you can experiment and play. This can lead to unexpected and exciting results that add a unique touch to your work.
Setting Aside Time for Exploration: Dedicate specific sessions solely for experimentation without the pressure of creating a finished piece. This time can be used to explore new techniques, materials, or ideas that could inform your main body of work.
Listening to Your Inner Voice: Stay attuned to your instincts and emotions throughout the creative process. Your intuition is a powerful guide that can lead you to new artistic heights.
Limiting the Palette: A New Challenge
In this new chapter, I’m challenging myself to work with a limited color palette. This decision is born from a desire to focus more on composition, form, and technique, rather than relying on a broad spectrum of colors.
Choosing the Palette: Select a few colors (Bunnings paint store swatches are handy for this task) that resonate with the themes or emotions you want to convey.
Hiding Temptations: To stay disciplined, I plan to physically hide other colors. This might sound drastic, but removing the temptation can help maintain focus and consistency. It’s like setting boundaries that encourage creativity within a defined space. I will leave my neons in reach though. They are too vital to leave out...yet..
Embracing the Challenge: Limiting the palette is not about restricting creativity but rather challenging myself to see how much can be expressed with less. This constraint can lead to a deeper exploration of texture, contrast, and light. This is my hope anyway!
Conclusion
Starting a new body of work is an opportunity to grow as an artist. By reflecting on past creations, making space for personal expression, and adopting a disciplined approach to color, I hope to create art that is both true to my vision and pushes the boundaries of my capabilities. This process is about evolution, intentionality, and finding joy in the journey of creation. Here’s to new beginnings and the exciting paths they lead us down.
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