Tell All - Chapter 10

 

Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.

Style File, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, It's Still Life, and Playing Favorites were the first five projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The final project from The Pulse #5, Tell All, continues now...

Participants were asked: what is the one thing that you know now that you would have liked to have known when you first started to create art? 

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I started my journey as an artist as a painter and straight away I wanted to sell my art. As a result I painted what I thought would sell and what would be considered to be a good painting. Painting to sell put a lot of pressure on me and I wish I had known then that a sale is much less satisfying than creating something that sings to my creative soul. Lisa Sarsfield

I sold my first piece of art when I was 16 and really got into my painting before taking a decade break because I was both too hard on myself and not fully able to express myself. I was afraid at that age to fully do what I wanted to do or show anyone the results. I always loved anatomy, but thought people would think it was weird to paint a human heart, for example. Now I don't care what people think - and I use LOTS of anatomical hearts in my art. I feel that had I known this at 16, I never would have stopped creating and how nice it would be to have that extra decade of experience. Alicia Caudle

Well, I think about when I started painting using oils in my late teens, finishing several paintings back then. I wish I had not let so much time go by before picking up a paint brush again. If you want to be good at something, I think it takes a lot of practice and time. JoAnnA Pierotti

I have been making boxes all my life. I never called it art. I never knew it was art. Sometime in the 1980's I got to see a Joseph Cornell exhibit. I was spellbound. Knowing that I had a connection with his work and this art form affected me in a profound way. I started looking into "assemblage" and "box art". It was not until the mid-2000's that I actually took the plunge on my own artistic journey. Rebeca Trevino

I started creating when I was a very small child and the need to create has stayed with me all that time. I cannot think of anything that a child needs to know when creating art other than to enjoy themselves. As an adult, however, I would have liked to know how hard it is to sell work - especially in times of worldwide financial hardship. Gillian McMurray

I first started to create art at age 26. It was really a "just for fun" thing then. Now it is a passion. It took me a long time to figure out how important a part of my life creating art is. Wish I knew sooner. Liz Hampton-Derivan

The first time I remembering creating art (not just some activity like coloring in a coloring book) was when I was 7. I drew winter trees, without any leaves, across from where we lived, and I really labored over it. Looking back now, it would have been good to know then that I didn't have to try so hard, and I would have gotten better results if I used a lighter touch. Jude 

Since I started creating art at the age of 5, I really knew then what I forgot and then learned much later - I'm allowed to do anything I please with my art. Shirley Ende-Saxe

I would have liked someone to tell me way back when I wanted to be a working artist straight out of high school, that it is actually possible to have a career in art. If would be so much better if we encourage creativity in kids and then armed them with the skills they needed in the business world. Being an artist can be a day job - provided you have the right skills to turn it into a business. Rhomany

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and within the individual artist. Being criticized in high school art class for thinking outside the box did not help my self esteem at all! I still do not consider myself a true artist. I have never been schooled in any particular discipline, I just like to try all things. When I entered blogland, a whole new, exciting world of art, inspiration, ideas, tutorials and creativity presented itself to me. It's a wonder-full thing! Pat McNally

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Next Tell All will be posted on Sunday, March 17th