Lately been pondering the “everyone” that is often mentioned. The all inclusive ‘us and we’.
From a professional designer and fine artist point of view I need to keep this “everyone” in mind when I create art. One of the first questions I ask my design clients is, “Who is your audience? (the everyone for them). Then based on that description I make choices for the work I’m doing.
For my fine art, since I paint for the gift and decorative well as the fine art gallery industries there is a different way to approach them. The gift and decorative is more generic based on color blocks and abstract shapes that a person uses to “decorate” a space such as department store displays and hotel rooms and also inexpensive wall art for mid-income homes.
For the fine art galleries…. the paintings can be as specific as I’d like. I can paint nudes, faces, places, emotional bursts, and make political statements based on how I’m feeling at the time.
Neither approach is for “everyone” yet it is for the “everyone” that the specific category includes.
So why don’t we just say that…?
Karrie Ross, California Artist
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Fascination takes us to where it lives.
Fine art process is filled with fascination. The “How do I get it to do what I want, the how do I use this medium etc to make my emotion, my vision possible?” trial and error and risk fill our thoughts and emotions daily while we’re figuring it out… we have a passion for the answer. This keeps us going, the “Can I do it and how do I do it” of creation process and completion which takes us yet to another space of questions that need to be answered… the never ending quest for balance and experience. As in each risk come experience and for me each stroke or item drawn a risk exists… and the excitement of accomplishment is beyond comprehension.
Relationships are filled with fascination. The “What we want, the what we see it giving us” that pulls us there and when that fascination is taken away or leaves, so do we… unless there was more to it. We look for a balance and in each balance there is risk and in each relationship risk lives. Finding the balance if tricky… do we know the right questions, the process for this balance? Do we want someone who poses questions to us if even unspoken just implied… pushing, encouraging us to be the better the more of who we are? This is found in other places too… but the question is… DO YOU WANT THE BETTER THE MORE? and if you do, do you know how and where to find it?
This I’ve noticed is not always taught to our children… a lot of the time, we might know to teach it… then where do will they find this quality that is so important to expansion… the wanting of more?
Karrie Ross, California Artist
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I noticed the other day a little aggravation… you know, the kind that just sits and stares at you expecting you to respond.
Ha! often times we don’t respond for a variety of reasons… mostly BECAUSE of the feeling of aggravation…that we wish it would go away. Sound familiar?
I observe things in my life like that… as though I don’t already have enough to watch, but, well, this is my life and how I make it. So, (used as a transition not a filler work, yes this is a Toastmasters thing) to continue, aggravations… if you are being agrivated by something… TAKE NOTICE… ask it WHY its there giving you this physical feeling that is causing emotional avoidance. Now, watch listen observe the answers that come your way.
When I’m painting, if the painting is not balanced it agitates me until I add something that balances it out, which is continuous until I see it as balanced, my balance… and within the something I add there is a risk involved… the “what if I ruin the painting?” risk that most artists feel… and the feeling that keeps them going and wanting to paint. AND each “something new added” creates another agitation which calls for another something to be added etc etc etc. I call this “talking to me” so I often mention when asked about “How do I know when it’s done?” I say “It stops talking to me, as which point it and I are in balance and we vibrate. I like to believe that this vibration is what lasts in the painting and calls to the people who will view and hopefully buy the work…
The attraction in the passion is the vibration, the balance, the connection.
So keep an eye on your aggravations agitations, you never know what it will bring to you.
Karrie Ross, California Artist
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The Spiral Series is my latest and has been occupying my time for the last few years. This series has grown in depth and technique. Here are a few samples I just created to hang in the common space of the Topanga Canyon Gallery. They are 6H x 18W framed. Mixed media of watercolor and color pencil. [Note: all work is (C) 2009 Karrie Ross all rights reserved.]
Enjoy!
Spiral Segments:
Spiral Seasons:
Close-up for detail:
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I just became a member of the Topanga Canyon Gallery and created this logo for the holiday season. We are planning to follow googles’ example and change our logo for holidays or maybe even have one of the monthly show artists create one for their show. It will be fun which ever way we go.
This is a co-op gallery and has about 40 members. It is located in the middle of Topanga Canyon and changes art every month. The artist cover most mediums: painting oil, acrylic and watercolor; photography; ceramics, bronze; jewelry; sculpture and more.
Our Holiday Show is coming up, the opening is Dec. 5th. Check out the website for upcoming events and to join the mailing list. TopangaCanyonGallery
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