Art Adventures - by Patricia Banks©
Published July 2018 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Magazine
Published July 2018 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Magazine
I believe this to be true in all fields of endeavor: A successful professional artist must possess a healthy degree of optimism. It is important to see challenges as problem solving opportunities, setbacks as a time for learning, and struggle as evidence of continuing growth. Artists must believe in themselves, their abilities and their purpose. The definition of hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen: it is a feeling of trust. Artists require confidence to persevere in their work despite competitive economic times, fads, and trends. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller
Art is work. That is why it is called “Artwork.” It takes time, dedication, perseverance, and skill. The results embody the artist’s personal statement, and if it is to be meaningful and genuine, it will come from the heart and soul. Some days painting comes easy, and some days… well, some days, not so easy. Paintings have three stages: a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning is always exciting and fun, the middle is often “hard work” and the end stage is filled with delight as the details and highlights are completed.
As I stand at my easel today, contemplating the middle stage of my painting, I am reminded of the wise words of an artist friend. He said he used to wrestle with his painting process, but now he simply accepts the highs and lows as just that: his painting process. He confided that he didn’t choose his painting process, that over time, it had evolved as his method of achieving what he wanted to say with his art. The proof of the value of his process lies in the outstanding quality of his work.
I am back to “work” now with optimism, hope and confidence. I hope you are too!
Art is work. That is why it is called “Artwork.” It takes time, dedication, perseverance, and skill. The results embody the artist’s personal statement, and if it is to be meaningful and genuine, it will come from the heart and soul. Some days painting comes easy, and some days… well, some days, not so easy. Paintings have three stages: a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning is always exciting and fun, the middle is often “hard work” and the end stage is filled with delight as the details and highlights are completed.
As I stand at my easel today, contemplating the middle stage of my painting, I am reminded of the wise words of an artist friend. He said he used to wrestle with his painting process, but now he simply accepts the highs and lows as just that: his painting process. He confided that he didn’t choose his painting process, that over time, it had evolved as his method of achieving what he wanted to say with his art. The proof of the value of his process lies in the outstanding quality of his work.
I am back to “work” now with optimism, hope and confidence. I hope you are too!
