Blog October 2020
People often ask me what style of art I do. This is a tough question because to answer it, even for myself, I am not sure I can. The reason is it seems to always be changing and different styles emerge.
Many artists, most actually, you can look at a painting you have never seen and know who painted it. They have a style that is uniquely their own. Part of me envy’s that focus, that love and dedication to a set style and part of me hopes that might lie in my future as well. But a part of me doesn’t want that.
My art shifts with my mood, my energy and my thoughts at that moment. I have never been good at forcing a style, even when I do , if it just isn’t in me at the time I am painting the painting just doesn’t work. I sometimes wish I wasn’t this way about my art. People say “why don’t you paint like this all the time” ; “Why is your style changing again”. I think I have recently come to accept, at least for now, this is who I am and what my art is. A refection of me.
So, what do I mean by all of this? I would put my art today in three categories, heart, soul and mind. First, I would tell you I start all paintings the same, with my only my hands putting paint on the board or canvas. I want to see what it wants to be, where my mood takes it. Generally, that means over-painting many many times before it says what it wants to be. But the paint and I will get there.
Art of my Heart – “Prince of the Sky”
“The Prince” is an example of what I would call the art of my heart. Art of the emotion of nature, it makes you think, it builds a relationship with the creature. You can talk to them, say “good morning” to them. I want to feel the painting has a true heart that will touch the viewer. It is not meant to be realism, but you know who you are talking to, and perhaps they make you smile.
Art of my Soul – “Souls”
“Souls” is named after where these sorts of paintings come from for me. Deep deep in my soul. They cannot be planned; they just manifest on their own as I paint. The story writing itself in my head as I go. These are the hardest for me in many ways but mainly because I can’t plan them at any stage. They depend so much on my mood, and how the image talks to me. These types of paintings have different meanings to different people, and I want it that way. I want them to speak to people.
Art of my Mind – “Koi”
“Koi” is one example of what I call my work of the mind. This used to be what I did exclusively; very detailed creations, pastel, ink, scratch art, or pencil. This work is a very different mindset for me, I have to know exactly what I want to do before I start, and often can’t make many mistakes along the way. I have many of these that are not finished mainly because I lose interest and then it is hard to restart that focus. I still do them, but not often of late.
I hope this gives some insight to my work and who I am as an artist.
Cindy
Prince of the Sky
Souls
Koi