Conveying Emotion
I've been giving a lot of thought on the direction of my art. I constantly fight with wanting to be technically good but wanting more than just a nice piece of artwork. I think most artists reach this point at some time in their career. I found some notes that I jotted down from an interview I read several years ago of an artist (didn't think to write her name down) who was at the same stage. She said it became a spiritual experience & it felt like she was an orchestra conductor of movement & energy. Here are some of the questions that she posed.
1. What emotion do you want your painting to convey visually? Somber, joy, anger,
passion, etc? Do you want to describe a time of day or night?
2. What colors to use? Does a predominantly blue painting convey sadness or restfulness?
3. What tonal value? Does a high key painting speak softness or joy?
4. What type of movement? Do you want to speak of a bustling street scene or a person
deep in thought?
5. What type of marks should I make? Should you have energetic brushwork for a waterfall
or quiet strokes for a calm day on the water?
A favorite artist of mine is Ron Hicks. Each of his paintings have a definitive story. In "The Conductor" his energetic brushwork allows the audience to experience the maestro's movement. You can almost hear the orchestra.
Before starting a painting, do you ask yourself what emotion you want to convey? Something to think about.
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