Dreaming is the Hard Part, Believe it or Not

"I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious."
-Andrew Wyeth

I find this quip from Wyeth to be very true for me in the sense that when I'm painting there is that inherent bliss in the work. The continuity of the project, the brush to the paper, the dipping in water, the flow of the paint, finishing the line, seeing the form, finishing the next part etc.

When I'm not painting (or engaging in other hobbies/distractions) it's like my mind is constantly churning. I mean the action of the painting, can be considered the final part of the process. Everything I see, hear, etc. I am automatically influenced by, and the mind is constantly taking in and thinking, thinking, thinking; always thinking. It's hard to shut the damn thing off sometimes.

Even as a kid age seven or eight maybe, I remember thinking about my mind as being similar to some sort of separate muscle that moved on its own without my intending it too. I found it frustrating. Almost like it could process information faster than my conscious mind could work through. I guess that is what dreams are for. I have always been much more of a visual learner, then anything else. It took me a long time to start talking, but I always remember being comfortable drawing pictures.

So about dreaming specifically, it's an important part of my creative process. Dreaming can be like painting in the sense that you're working out aspects (trying to express and understand) of your daily life, inner fears, desires, emotions; through elements like visual symbols and various imagery, colors, and settings. Sometimes I'll get an idea for a painting from a dream and sometimes I will create a painting and then dream about the elements from it. Both are things that help me understand myself better.

 Anyways that is my thought for the day (well one at least). Just another attempt at understanding the creative process.

"Face, Foot, and Hands"

Face, Foot, and Hands, by Ed T. © '08

This old drawing of mine (2003) is really just a quick hand, foot and face study that I added some color to, more of a play with figurative design than anything else. In class I always found myself doodling my hands because there was never anything interesting to sketch from the classroom, (I guess I could have paid attention to the lesson). Anyways, I have always liked drawing hands and feet.

The process of sorting through all of my old artwork is turning into a lengthy process. I have so much work that I have not thought about for a long time. But the moment I see a piece that I have forgotten about I am taken right back into the time when I created it. That is one thing that I love about art, it can be like a portal to a time and place, akin to smells that bring memories to your mind. At the same time though, in regards to sharing the work - do you really want people meandering through these visual expressions of emotion and personal expression?

"To have all your life's work and to have them along the wall, it's like walking in with no clothes on. It's terrible." -Andrew Wyeth

I can't speak for all artists but I think a lot of the time the answer is yes, you should relish the chance to show your work, and overlook any shyness you may have about it. Not just show the work, but you need to also ruthlessly promote yourself I say. Well maybe not ruthlessly but you get my point, - that I believe an artist has to be confident in their work and share it unabashedly.

Ed Tajchman's Mythic Imaginings

Andrew Wyeth on Abstraction

Andrew Wyeth has been criticized for being too-realistic in his style. Being someone who promotes the philosophy of modern art and who also prefers paintings that are non-representational, I love his work. I agree with him in his following quote, that some people might miss the overall-feeling of the work.

They're seeing only one side of it. They don't see the tone. If you can combine realism and abstraction, you've go something terrific."

-Andrew Wyeth (quoted in Modern American Painting, 1970, Time Life Books.)

Some realist painters blindly paint exactly what they see, or try to anyways. Although Wyeth's work is ultra-realistic, to me his paintings each have an underlying composition of emotional tone. An obvious kind of foreboding or tension that you can see in the work. So I completely agree with his words above, and many would agree that he does create terrific paintings using realism and abstraction.