Passions of an Odd Chick

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My Rockstars are Artist

This is a little watercolor sketch in my art journal of a Nancy Cawdrey original. Once you see her beautiful art done with dyes on silk, you will gag at my feeble attempt but I love what she does with color and composition of horses, dragonflies and other symbols and images that also resonant with me. Was it Zig Ziglar that said, "if you want to be a millionaire, you have to hang around with millionaires"? Well, if I want to be good artist, I have to hang around with other good artist. They're not that in to me at the moment so I have to take a wee image from a magazine, stalk them on the computer and then just let their paintings flash in front of me while I marinade in their awesomeness. I can't afford most of their originals but I can remember a particular artist work by reproducing an elementary likeness that is for my own enjoyment, my own study, and never for any resale value. I truly honor the artist and would sit at their feet if they would let me, but for now I just hang their "posters" up in my mind and in my sketch book like you might a rock star or a celebrity when you were a kid. These are my rock stars at this juncture in my life. And I must say that they have added some soul and energy to the quality of my life. I'm curious- who are your rockstars at this time in your life?



11 comments:

Vikki North said...

Well I looked at her work and I'm not gagging! I like your watercolor very much. It's very vibrant and fun...and also apparent your quite familar with a horse's anatomy. You're doing excellent work. My only criticizm: Stop putting the artist that writes this blog down. She's good!
Vikki

L'Adelaide said...

Wonderful colors!!! Wonderful horse! I agree with redchair vikki about your art. :)

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I can see why she inspires you. But I love your version too.

Margaret Ann said...

OOOH MY YES! I totally agrea with the others! Your work is absolutely beautiful! There is passion and jubilation in your strokes...well done.

And thanks tons for the hook-up link to Nancy...I love artists of the west!

Steve Emery said...

Hey you! I'm right there with the ladies here - quit being mean to that Odd Chick artist.

You have your own style, and it's quite distinctive, mature, strong, lovely, free, and playful. Relax and let it happen. You have fine skills for drawing, color handling, contrast, brushwork, and composition. I think you relax more when you're painting a version of someone else's art, and it shows in the flow of the sketches you've been doing lately. Can you relax the same way when you paint or draw something of your own? Can you imagine yourself with as little at stake, get as much out of your own way, and just go with it?

This is all good advice for me, too - about letting go. I know that.

Steve Emery said...

Here's the real question, I think - can you love the artwork that YOU make? Can you love your style?

We gotta be us. You said that in the post about no one doing your art but you. Can you love what you can do? Do you accept it?

Kinda like my dearest challenging me this weekend to really accept and love my introvert nature. Not easy - I've been beating it up so much and pushing myself out there as an extrovert. But I'm beginning to see that I have to love who I am and what I do - and carry it into work and play and art and ...

Morganna said...

Hello, Odd Chick. This is my first visit to your blog, and the first post I've read.

Beautiful water color, and an excellent horse painting!!! stop putting yourself down. This is coming from another really really odd chick, so you can trust me on this. :D

Listen to Steve Emery. I think he put it best.

I loved your post, you asked who are the rockstars in my life? lol, I'm too shy a person to answer that. But, I have many rockstars, and rockstars that I honor, cherish love, and follow around like a puppy dog. Keep painting like that, and you might become one of them! Great read too!

Odd Chick said...

My friends you are right. I would be the first to tell someone not to be negative about their own creations, if they were their own. I believe I have good taste in art and my own drawings and paintings are not my taste right now and it is very frustrating. Yet, I can draw or paint someone else's composition and feel the pseudo feeling of accomplishment. But Ira Glass says keep painting until your skill catches up with your taste - I'm just so impatient. I'm going to try Steve's suggestion and relax into my own style and get out of my own way. And just paint. thank you all for your comments - you don't realize how isolated I am for help in this small town and your inspiration means everything.

kazumiwannabe said...

I think your painting is awesome! It has depth, wonderful colors, it's poetic, and I spent a long time admiring it and daydreaming because it's inspiring. Your whole blog is beautiful and interesting : )!

Claudia said...

Wonderful painting!-And I l o v e your painting of Albert Einstein, too!

Morganna said...

As long as you never give up, your style will catch up to your taste. Perseverance is power. :)

I moved to a small town, some six months ago, from the DC area. Errr, I'm starting to understand! ;)