Art For Art’s Sake: Staying True To Your Vision

 By Contributing ColumnistBette Miles-Holleman aka BadMsM

 My oldest daughter, an aspiring artist, had two of her works entered in a local show. She didn’t win a prize, but many people praised her for fine work that looks much more advanced than that of a 15 year old. Despite the praise she received, she was upset that she didn’t win a prize. I told her that shows like this only reflect a few peoples’ opinions and tastes, and the fact that they didn’t award her a prize does not invalidate her or her work. Art, after all, is subjective.

I’m not sure if my daughter understands, but I think she has enough passion to carry her through her disappointment. I have to remind myself that this is also a part of the creative process. Every artist must learn healthy responses to criticism, constructive or otherwise.

How many of us indie artists have felt this way at one time or another? Sure, we need to evaluate our work and strive for the best, but we need to be comfortable with who we are and what our art says about us. It will grow and evolve just as we do, but we need to remember the vision that got us here in the first place. Personally, I like to read my customer feedback for a reminder of why I do this. It’s nice to hear what kindred spirits and those who ‘get it’ have said about my work. 

In this competitive world that seems to be all about accolades, prizes and titles, it can be easy to fall into the trap of looking to those things for validation. And while we are encouraged by sales of our works, we still do it for love our art, and the joy of creating unique items that speak to us in a way that nothing else can.

That’s what it’s all about!

Drawing courtesy of Chloe Holleman. 

Medals photo courtesy of drfeltgood

LindaGJ aka LindaGJ

Becky Brocato: “…without goals, an artist has nothing to work toward.”
When I first had the privelege of seeing a watercolor piece from this fascinating Texan artist, Becky Brocato, I thought it was a photograph!

Becky deserves to be introduced to those that have never seen her awesome work! Most of her subject matter is very Texan and you can just feel Texas in most of her work. She says about one of her landscape paintings,”A rusty tin roof, a split rail fence, big Live Oak trees, a dusty rose sky. And a field of dew-covered Bluebonnets. This is a sight that is all too familiar to early morning travelers who choose the backroads and farm-to-market byways in the Texas Hill Country.”

I personally own several of her very high quality cards and have framed them and they are displayed all over my apartment brightening up many areas that needed a bit of sprucing up! So, I get to enjoy them everyday!

I asked Becky for a bio and asked her a lot of questions. I thought I’d be writing this article myself, but what Becky wrote in her own words found me not wanting to change a thing!

Here are the words she wrote about herself, and I couldn’t have written it better.
Becky Brocato: “I am a Watercolor Artist and freelance Graphic Designer living and working in Houston, Texas USA. I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a child, and I received my BFA in Graphic Design from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
Although I took a couple of watercolor classes in college many years ago, I didn’t really do so well. It was the most difficult of my classes, and it really frustrated me that I could not control the medium. My artistic style is realistic, and I wanted to be able to have as much control in watercolor as I did in my drawings and my oil paintings. So I pretty much gave up on watercolor back then.

In the years since college, I concentrated on my freelance graphic design business and also stayed busy volunteering for my son’s many activities. So when my son was a senior in high school in 2005, I was looking for a creative outlet that I could enjoy just for me. That’s when I decided to revisit the idea of learning watercolor painting.
I started taking classes and workshops at the Watercolor Art Society-Houston, and I was very surprised to find that I had much more control this time around. I’m pretty sure it was because I have more time to devote to practicing what I was learning, instead of having my attention divided among so many other classes, as it was in college.

In the last five years, I feel like I’ve come a long way with my watercolor skills. And I am very excited to share the fact that one of my paintings, “Teamwork,” has just been accepted in the Watercolor Art Society-Houston (WAS-H) 33rd International Exhibit 2010 (a juried watercolor competition), which means I will receive Signature Membership status when the awards are given out at the Opening Reception on March 12, 2010.

A watercolorist receives Signature Membership after being accepted in this Exhibit three times. The WAS-H International Exhibit, which takes place every Spring in Houston, is a high profile Exhibit in the world of watercolor painting, as it attracts several hundred entries from around the world each year, with less than 100 paintings usually being accepted.

I set a goal four years ago to enter as many WAS-H International Exhibits as possible in order to work toward my Signature status, and I am very pleased to have accomplished that goal. I love exploring new techniques and subject matter in watercolor. It is a challenging medium to master, so I look forward to many years of learning and growing as an artist.

When advising other artists, I have to recommend entering juried shows as much as possible. It keeps you focused on accomplishing goals, and without goals an artist has nothing to work toward.”

Thank you so much Becky for spending your time to share yourself with us. I feel your story is so inspiring and proves that it is never too late to learn something new and master it!

Here is just a tease to show yall just a few pieces of her work! Yall must go visit her shop to see her other fabulous watercolor paintings!

She’s on Etsy! http://www.beckybrocato.etsy.com
Here’s her blog: http://www.beckybrocato.blogspot.com

Photo courtesy of http://dnauqram4zil1.Etsy.com

By Contributing columnist LindaGJ aka LindaGJ

“Keep inspired never stop seeing (as opposed to looking), be open to experience, change & the fear of falling on your face. It’s important to give oneself the permission to fail, because, it’s not always the end product, in fact more often the end product should not be the issue, it’s the joy you get from “doing”. I suppose that’s a bit trite, but true for me at least, (Anytime anyone is brave enough to enter my “kingdom” they will see many of those wonderful failures, ones that I never really gave up on)”.
by Ruth of Elephant Dreams

Ruth is an incredibly interesting person, so yall must read all about her! “To get to know her is to get to know her art”. A wonderful inspiration for all artists & non-artists as well! This explains how she became the artist she is today!

Ruth was born in Artesia, CA, & since her father was in the Air Force, she’s been a Nomad ever since. Travels taking her to alot of places… Caracus, Venezuela (where she 1st fell in love with art), to San Antonio, Laredo, & Houston, where she lives now. The travels influenced her art & her life choices! Her husband, also being in the Air Force, continued her traveling & moves to England, New Mexico, Las Vegas, Southeast Asia (especially Thailand & Malaysia) & now to Texas again!

Ruth had part of her eduction in San Antonio, Colorado, Denver (where she graduated from Colorado Women’s School majoring in education with a very large art minor). In her art classes, she loved every minute of it! After her marriage she continued to study art whereever they lived, including New Mexico, Texas, and Malaysia where she studied arts with a Chinese Teacher.

As a young mother, that is when Ruth became interested in photography, a love that stoked her by traveling in Asia, England, & later in Texas!

The camera became a part of her, & she took photos of everything! She was lucky to have a darkroom & access to one at a local college & then she eventually worked as a lab room tech.

With each new camera, each new experience, her love & skill in photography grew. And she was lucky enough to keep traveling & kept taking photos!

Ruth also grew as a mixed media artist, with a love for drawing, painting, & printmaking!

There was not a medium that she didn’t want to learn about. She can safely say that her love for & skill as a photographer greatly influenced how she saw & interpreted the world. She saw things in definate patterns and colors, and the camera & the brush played off of one another. Ruth loves color, the patterns of everyday things & mostly she just just loves the excitement of discovery! That time when there is a tickle in the brain & she knows what she is looking for, something she can play with visually.

She also works in series. It’s like finding an idea & then seeing how far she can take it. One photo, one print, one piece of jewelry is never enough. The idea can always be expanded or focused more on detail. She has always felt so fortunate for this ability to see more because she is never bored with an idea, Most series come to an end, but even then the thread might be taken up years later with a new slant & usually this can be the start if an even larger series!

Ruth does have some set backs but it does not keep her from her passions in life at all. She was diagnosed in 1993 with a bipolar disease. While it is controlled by medications, there are times when ups & downs define her life. She finds it very extremely important to try to help people understand mental illness & hopefully give new perspectives. She knows so many people with mental issues, & they are not “crazy” in the way the media & our society depict them. Modern science has done wonders with medication, she tries to support local charities for mental health, women’s issues, & animal protection. But mostly she tries to be an advocate for children.

Surprisingly, I had the opportunity to meet Ruth, and I call her “My Hero Artist!”

It was by mere coincidence that when I first joined Etsy, I was browsing around & discovered a wonderful artist,photographer, & jewelry artist, this was Ruth!

I eventually realized she was on my Texas Etsy Team. And I had fallen in love with one of her watercolors, although there were many I fell in love with, but especially the watercolors because I majored in art in college & watercolor was my specialty. This one watercolor print was a watercolor of actual watercolors and I kept going back to it to stare at it over & over again.

Well, it just so happens that Ruth lived in Katy, Texas, which is basically Houston where I live & lo & behold one of my mini team friends that I had joined, called The Artisans of Texas, knew her!
Wow, I was a step closer to meeting my “Hero Artist”!

I was in Heaven when I finally met her and eventually I gathered enough money to buy my watercolor print & we met for lunch & exchanged packages as she had bought some cat cards from me! We had a wonderful lunch & I keep in touch with her up to this day!
I love her work so much that I’m so glad that I’m able to share her with yall!

This is a sneak peek slide video of her work taken from all three shops! Yall should definately go visit her shops to see more of this fabulous artist’s work, to purchase or at the very least, yall are in for a Very Big Eye Candy Treat!

Visit Ruth’s other online shops!
Rhradcliffedesigns - Paintings and prints
Earwingsandthings - Captivating Jewelry

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By Contributing Columnist Kimberly Barnes aka Teatowelcreek

Recycling and Upcycling has become a very important part of our nations lifestyle in order to save the planet.

Recycling is the process of using a products useful parts and turning it into a new product;  Upcycling is similar to recycling in that you are taking a product and reworking it into a completely new form than what it was originally made into.

Every little thing we do on this earth can either assist in saving this planet or aid in it’s destruction.

I am a self taught artist living in Salem, Ohio. I was born in Alabama and was raised as a certified Army Brat, which gave me the opportunity to live all over the world, meet fabulous people, go to museums, etc..

I have always been creative and have experimented with every medium known to man and have always dreamed of having my work published in a book. I have had small successes in my life; Being an Illustrator for a woman’s newsletter, winning art and photography awards, being published on the front page of my local newspaper, painting murals for my local State park, selling my work locally, on ebay and now on etsy.

Visit me at http://teatowelcreek.etsy.com

ARTICLES by TeaTowelCreek:

The Traveling Cloths

Recycled Creativity

Living with I.C.

Please and Thank you

LoopsDesigns offers simple modern handmade jewelry. 
 

Designer Sarah Dible is a mostly self taught artist who started making jewelry in 1998 when she made her bridesmaids necklaces for her wedding.  In 2002, she realized she had an eye for shape and design when patients at the physical therapy clinic she worked at started asking her to make and sell them her jewelry.   

From there she continued to expand her designs and has sold her creations at stores and boutiques for several years.  In 2006, she stumbled upon the artistically passionate community Etsy.  Since then, she has forged an inspiring relationship with the online community where she has sold much of her jewelry.

When she isn’t working on jewelry she can be found splitting her time between being a wife to her wonderful husband Quentin, a Mom to her 15 month old little girl, and a part time Physical Therapist.   

She looks for inspiration in many places but finds that nature and simple modern shapes influence most of her jewelry designs.  She has recently created a way to recycle modern patterns from magazines, coffee cups, and any other inspiring paper design into gorgeous earing’s called EcoLoops.  Her interest in natural designs and economically friendly ideas drives much of her jewelry designs. 

Sarah is always interested in new artistic ideas and the best ways to showcase her jewelry online. 

Her shop can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=81797.

Her blog LoopsDesigns (http://www.loopsdesigns.blogspot.com/) shares her new discoveries and knowledge with all who are interested. 

Loops Designs accepts the Winter Wonderland Free Shipping Coupon from December 16 – 31!

When cat lover, Mishkat in the Etsy Forums mentioned the combo print, note cards and magnet sets at Visual Smiles Gallery (aka LindaGJ) I became quite curious and decided to take a peek. When I clicked to view her amazing shop I savored items that were a cat lover’s dream!

This was especially true for myself since my cat Yingy, a female Tuxedo, resembles the cat that Linda features in her prints - Miss Peanut Jones! She not only resembles her in looks, but in size and spirit as well!

Sadly, Miss Peanut is no longer part of Linda’s household but her memory will never be forgotten! You will find Miss Peanut in Linda’s numerous prints sets and in the two books that she has written, “The Itty Bitty Kitty from New York City” & “Peanut Jones Thinks about Fun!”

Now if you fall in love with her prints, as I have done, when you purchase anyone of these darlings….included is a matching magnet and a matching boxed set of seven gift cards! Wow, I was floored! How does she do all that at such a fantastic low price? Needless to say, I am a proud owner of a couple of her print sets, the quality of these items are great and you’ll love her whimsical subject matter!

Listen to what Linda has to say when describing her beloved kitty (see her shop for the full story):

I just have to say that she had such an itty bitty tail, itty bitty cow legs, & the cutest itty bitty face…yet,lo & behold…she had a very big round body! Perfect shape for aN ornament ball, that you will see in my store as a sculpture figure adorned in a variety of costumes as well as a magnet. This lovable feline who was raised in an art studio environment & exposed to the visual & performing arts her whole life, made Miss Peanut, not only a very cultured feline, but also a legend!

With the holidays now upon us, I am always looking for fantastic decorating ideas, and this clay and paper mache figurine of Miss Peanut Jones is just perfect as a display item or as a beautiful gift for a lover of cats.

LindaGJ’s shop is highly recommended! I hope that you stop by and take advantage of her Miss Peanut lovelies!

IndieSmiles favs are unsolicited reviews of Sue and El’s favorite indie shops and are not compensated for these reviews. If you would like Sue and El to notice your shop, please send them an email at info@indiesmiles.com

Elephant Dance accepts the Winter Wonderland Free Shipping Coupon from December 16 – 31!