JO REIMER: Subtle or Colorful

Friday, August 13, 2010

Subtle or Colorful

In her current post Donna Watson discusses how many artists have an affinity for creating subtle work, beautiful work that has a quietness to it that appeals to me, though I don't often create subtle work. Here are two more of my daily collages, one a bit subtle and the other one in-your-face bright. Both were made in the same session, working out of my red box of bits and pieces.

I left a much loved unattributed quotation in her comments section:

"Work and work and work until what comes

out is pure and not influenced by

anything but what is in my heart."

I believe that only through doing a lot of work does ones' true voice emerge. If you are an artist, make lots of art using whatever tools and supplies you own. If you have a voice, sing. If you play an instrument, practice, practice, practice. That's what it means to be an artist. One has to BE. That implicates daily practice. When one wants to improve as an artist, one must work at it... over and over and over.

Pardon me if I seem like I'm preaching to the choir. I've taught all my life and that's my teacher voice :)

3 comments:

Bren Graham Thebeau5:56 AM PDT
love what you wrote, only as we create are we going to find our true creative voice. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your art.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Mary12:59 PM PDT
you are so right!!
ah, that's what I was hearing, your teacher voice. :) :) :)

I have not been playing or practicing very much these last few weeks. I miss it!!
ReplyDelete
Replies
Susanne5:31 AM PDT
Hi Jo,
I found your page by following the lovely quote you left in your comments on Donna Watson's blog. I also liked your 'teachers' comments! The internet continues to amaze me with it's access to so much interesting information and to all the wonderful artist's work that we would never get to see otherwise.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

I appreciate comments and questions.

Art Tip: brush cleaning

As I work with acrylic medium for glue or with acrylic paints I stand my brushes in a bucket of water on my work table and give them a soap and water cleanup every day or so. But eventually my brushes get gunky and sometimes I forget to clean them. That's when I clean them with Murphy's Oil Soap. I keep an inch of MOS mixed 1:1 with water in a tall plastic tub (Feta from Costco) and put caked brushes in that solution overnight. By the next day the soap has softened the brush and with a bit of elbow grease I can get the brushes back to useable. This also works for brushes used with oil paint. I gave up using oils but wanted to save those good brushes and Murphy's Oil Soap came to the rescue. Get it at the grocery store.