This is my latest image. A friend of mine gave me a bird-of-paradise cutting from her garden on my birthday. I told her I would most likely paint it. This is the result, but I am unsure about it. I don't care for the symmetrical quality to it ( I was unaware I did this until I stepped away from the painting), I don't know about the composition, and I'm not sure about the subject matter either. I have shown this work to a few people and they always tell me it is great. But I can't tell if they mean that, or if social convention says that they need to respond in the positive.
Every time I create an image I keep in mind something that I learned in writing class from college. That is to make your audience care; make them see your point of view and understand where you are coming from ( I could go on about the relationship between the written word and art, but that is perhaps an argument for a later post.). When begin an image I always ask myself "why shouls anyone care about what I have done?" For this image I don't have an answer. I'm not sure anyone should care. It's nor that great, it's not bad, but not that great either. I don't honestly see the value in this image. What do you think?
When I was in art school I had a ready body of critics. This included my fellow artists/students, but also the art faculty. They were never short on words when it came to evaluating my work. Since I have gone away from this environment it has become increasingly difficult to determine how my work is being interpreted by viewers. When I set up this blog I had hoped it would be more interactive between you the readers and me the artist. This is an opportunity to develop that interactivity. What do you honestly think of this painting? Any feedback would be welcomed.
3 comments:
My favorite pieces of artwork are those which depict nature. An artist can use their chosen medium to try to make a statement or express something meaningful about life, and that's all good. But there's nothing wrong with "simply" translating nature.
I also like pieces that draw me in based on the what I like in terms of the most basic elements like color, contrast, and composition.
So, in the case of this piece, all I can say is I really do like it. I was immediately drawn to the symmetry, because I happen to like that, and also to the contrast in the colors. I like the fact that it is obviously Bird of Paradise flowers, but not a photo-realistic representation of them. I'm not even a huge fan of the actual flowers, but I'd want this picture around to look at regularly.
I like this work. The colors are intriguing, warm oranges on cool blues, the top background the coolest, the bottom warmer with lavenders...the vibrant flowers glowing and growing toward the coolness of ???death???...coming from the warmth of he earth, their "roots", their beginnings. The symmetry is not absolute. And as you gaze deeper into the background, the central leaves are lighter than their counterparts, drawing one into the background, deeper into the future? the past? This is an apparently simple painting that moves the observer beyond simplicity. Well Done.
I like this painting. It's flowers, up close and personal, what's not to like! Uncomplicated, colorful, cheery. It's all good.
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