It's Monday morning and another Culver City Art Group Holiday Art Show has come and gone. It was a lot of fun (as usual) and I am very grateful for the people who took time out of their busy schedules to stop by and visit. This year was so hectic with all kinds of projects I didn't even have time to send out my own invitations! I must be better organized next year (yeah, right).Anyway, the show went really well, as always we had some fabulous entries that deservedly won prizes. As our show isn't big enough to have categories (less than twenty five artists participated this year) it is a difficult job for the judge to select nine winners. However, in my eyes, just being willing to put artwork out there for the scrutiny of fellow members and the general public, makes everybody a winner.
Maybe that sounds trite but I remember when I first started doing artwork (in the form of collages) in the early 90s, I hung the artwork all around my house and invited friends over to view it. When nobody laughed, and in fact, most people praised it (I know, they were my friends!!!), it gave me the courage to display it publicly and I had a one-woman show for several months at a restaurant. It was a huge deal for me as those collages were so personal. They were the expression of all the pent-up creativity of a quarter century of doing no artwork at all.
Of course, I've moved on since then and now I have no problem displaying my art. I make art for myself and nobody else, but if somebody else out there likes it, so much the better!
Now my number one form of creativity takes the form of hand-painted ceramic tiles. The collages I did back then were full of energy exploding on to the paper. I need to do some more. My ceramic tiles now are very controlled with a lot of detail. They are on subjects that are important to me. I especially like my "Places" series based on photos I've taken of my travels. Well, I like all my series!
Near and dear to my heart is the tile I painted last year of my tuxedo cat Friday. Like all roommates, he has his problems, but basically he is a sweetie. Just before I painted his portrait I had visited the Getty Center to view their fairly recent Gauguin acquisition (Arii Matamoe or The Royal End) which I fell in love with. (Click here for that blog entry.) I used my impression of the rug in the painting for the background of the tile. The photo I had taken of Friday looking up at the camera and the Gauguin rug all came together perfectly.
I was very happy that this tile won an award at the show. And Friday is very proud too!
(Photo and design copyright roslyn m wilkins)
Congratulations on the award, to you and Friday. I remember when I started making art, mostly just drawing and using colored pencils. Painting on canvas came much later. Glad the art show went well. Would have loved to have been there.
ReplyDeleteLove that cat, he has a very special way of looking at you as only cats can :-) and you captured the expression so well.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the award, well done!
Thank you both. Friday is SO proud!!!
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