You Don't Know their Story

I was asked to hang some paintings at a local wine bar.  The idea of showing my work somewhere other than school or my parents house was was exciting and nerve-racking at the same time.  Although it is just 5 paintings, it is a bigger deal to me than I thought.  I first planned on bringing in some paintings from my Abstract Painting class.  Mostly non-representational, larger, more marketable and pleasant paintings.  To my surprise, however, they wanted me to hang my more current pieces.  As it turns out, I am not the only person who likes controversy (who would have thunk it?). The Wine Vault has a main room with all of the wine, a larger room to relax, and a smaller room where my paintings are.  But the reason they're in the smaller room is because that is where they do all of their wine tastings.  People can drink wine and talk about my "thought provoking work."

The real problem here was hanging the paintings.  Since they usually only show smaller works on canvas or photographs, they hang the pieces by a hook attached to ribbon.  This, of course, did not hold my 6-foot-tall paintings.  The ribbon was holding, but not the hooks so I got some plastic hooks that I nailed in and hung that from the ribbon.  The next day I got a call saying my largest painting had fallen.  I reinforced it with two more hooks and it seemed fine.  Then, the next day I found out that all of my paintings had fallen.  Finally, I went to my dad.  Picture Hanging Wire!  Why didn't I think of that?  Now I just had to take them all down and put them back up again.  I never realized what went into hanging art work.  I always  assumed that my paintings would be easy since the stretchers are thick enough to just hang on two nails and that would be that.  You never know though, and you should always be prepared for where you will show your work.  Know your location and your materials (i.e. size and weight of your work).

Kudos to the real professional artists who know what they are doing.  I guess we all need a good learning experience.  It would be no fun for anyone if you always got it right on your first try.

My paintings aren't finished, they are hung

We are all, no doubt, aware of Vincent van Gogh's infamous signature. However, in viewing a recent show of his work, my father brought to my attention that some paintings were not completed with his signature, "Vincent." This observation then led to a question I have asked many times: when is a piece of art finished? In regard to my own work, I say that my paintings are not finished, they are hung. My father does not consider a photo or drawing finished until he has signed it. So, could we then assume the same for van Gogh? Imagine how art history could be reinterpreted if we stop assuming that all of these works were finished. Just because we would feel more comfortable knowing that the paintings we have studied are finished does not mean that the artist felt that way.

I find myself always revisiting work. As an artist, you must grow to some degree or cease to call yourself an artist. This is because the word "artist" is synonymous with "student." As I "finish" one painting, I have already started on another. Especially in working with the figure, each painting is likely more successful than the last and I constantly wish to change the one before. However, the reason I say my work is hung, and not finished, is because I have to just move on. It is completely possible to paint one painting for an entire year and not even begin another. So many times artists paint numerous paintings on one canvas in hopes to "complete" the original. What I now realize is that although my paintings may not be finished because they are not perfect, it is imperative to move onto the next in order to progress.

All this makes me wonder is if the great painters of the past may have struggled with the same things. Maybe then, I have an explanation as to why Vincent did not sign all of his paintings. And maybe we can humanize those great painters that have become immortal in history.

Procrastination

I think most art students will tell you that procrastination is a part of life. With three studios, regular academic classes, work, and a boyfriend, there is not much time. Somehow we I always seem to get behind in my studio work by the end of the semester and I have no time to catch up. Although I am surprisingly ok in my Fibers and Print Making classes, I am way more behind in my painting class. Funny, since that is my concentration. Right now I have two paintings that are almost finished, one painting I just started, a shadow box in the beginning phase, and a final project I have barely begun.

So all of this work is due and I only have about three weeks. Lucky for me, I have been in this spot before. The key to catching up on your procrastination is to GET ORGANIZED! I like to take out a calendar so I can see everything laid out. First I list all of my major assignments and mark their due dates. Next I break each assignment into sections. If it is an academic class, I would break it down by chapters to study. And if it is a studio, I would break it down by parts of my assignments that I could get finished in one setting. Finally, I fill in the blanks. Assign days and times to each of your assignments in your calendar and do not forget to take into consideration your current schedule.

Most importantly, make sure that the next time you have an assignment, you go through the organization phase FIRST! That way, you do not need to worry about jamming half a semesters worth of work into three weeks. So let me know if you have any tips about procrastination. I would LOVE to hear some new ideas!