Practice Makes Perfect

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 by Alyice

To be quite truthful, I know that practice makes perfect because I’ve seen the improvement in my own writing as I’ve taken the time each day to hone my skills as a writer. And I know that the more I practice, the better I’ll get. So I get that in order to improve in both photography and art, I must do something to improve those skills every single day—read a tutorial, practice a method, watch a professional in action, something. But I must shamefully admit, before God and you, that I have not made the time to learn, to practice, to improve.

It hasn’t been easy to find the time between my home business and my duties as both a wife and mother to tackle this new venture. In fact, putting off my training has become such second nature to me for so many years that even though I vowed this would be the year I made an effort to at least try I am now two months into the year and I can honestly say that I’ve only put about 16 hours into learning and practicing.

Shelley Grund, Artist

Meet Shelley

Shelley Grund, Artist

Buy Shelley’s Art

But that’s all about to change thanks to an interview I did with artist and gallery owner Shelley Grund. In 2005 Shelley decided to paint one small painting a day—something she could tackle in under an hour and complete in one day—in order to improve her skills and create better art. Well, it paid off in more ways than she ever imagined.

Not only did she create better art, but she learned to create intuitively. In other words, she stopped worrying about how something was going to look, if she was using the right colors, or if she had the technique down correctly and just began to enjoy the process of painting. And before she knew it, she had a better understanding of how her paints worked together, which brushes worked better for a particular technique or area of the painting, and how far she could push her raw materials.

But what stood out the most during her interview was her closing statement, “You are no longer a student learning how to use the materials, you are a ‘master’ painter creating something with the materials.”

And isn’t that what all artists strive to be—a master of their craft? Whether it’s writing, photography, painting, sculpting, or even crocheting, the only way to be good at what we do is to get to a point where we aren’t always second-guessing why we’re doing what we are doing and begin to simply do it because it feels right. And that’s really where I’d like to be one day—at a place where I can confidently say, “this feels right” and have the outcome turn out just as good as it felt during the creative process.

I can’t promise a piece of art a day or even a photograph a day, but I can at least promise that I’ll spend 30 minutes to an hour every day devoted to learning and improving upon my craft—whether it be reading a how-to book, watching a video tutorial, or actually putting something into practice. After all, if I continue with the excuses of time being against me, I’ll forever live with the “what ifs” and dreams of “what could have been” and I am so not a “what if” girl!

Posted in Art School | 1 Comment »

Interview With Shelley Grund

Friday, February 22nd, 2008 by Alyice

Today I had the honor of interviewing Shelley Grund, artist and gallery owner. Shelley opened her gallery in October of 2007, complete with a studio and retail area for local artists. Shelley’s blog caught my attention when I discovered that every year she dedicates late winter/early spring to the Painting A Day Movement in which she only allows herself one hour to complete a painting. Won’t you join me as we discover the significance of painting something—anything—every single day?

Shelley Grund, Artist

Meet Shelley

Shelley Grund, Artist

Buy Shelley’s Art

How did you get started with the Painting A Day movement?
In 2005 I discovered Duane Keiser and decided to dedicate time to painting small paintings once a day.

What have been the personal rewards when it comes to one painting a day?
By painting something in only one hour once a day I improved my painting skills. Improvement in your art can only come by doing it. These little exercises really help an artist to learn the “shorthand” of painting. Slowly it is less a matter of thinking what it is your painting but more intuitively creating.

You mention that painting a day becomes an exercise, do you look for new techniques to practice each day or week? Or do you simply do your paintings intuitively and what’s the benefit of the method you choose?
By doing the paintings everyday you get to know your materials so well that it becomes second nature. This includes mixing colors, seeing values, reaching for the right shape/size brush. The subject matter can be the same or different from one time to the next (for instance I’ve painted eggs several times). I’m not necessarily looking for something new to do or some new technique. I find the subject guides me. And the world is unlimited in subject matter. Once you no longer have to think about the materials you can concentrate on what you want to say with the painting. You can experiment with your materials, push them a little every time you work with them, learning their limits and discovering new ways to use them. Generally the creation process becomes part of you, the artist, rather than just technique. You are no longer a student learning how to use the materials, you are a “master” painter creating something with the materials.

What has been the professional benefits of committing to a painting a day?
Besides improving my overall ability and thus creating better art, those little exercises have allowed the public the opportunity to purchase a piece of art at a reasonable price. I post my paintings on my website and I have sold most of my painting a days to visitors to my website.

If there was anything you’d do different, now that you¹ve been doing the Painting A Day for awhile, what would it be?
Do it more often! It takes a lot of discipline to dedicate yourself to a “painting a day”. The benefits out-weight the inconvenience. I’ve become aware of the passage of time and regret that I haven’t painted more.

Visit her at ShelleyGrund.com

Posted in Art Interviews | No Comments »

Don’t Let Time Crowd You Out

Thursday, February 21st, 2008 by Alyice

It’s interesting how I’ll make time for my kids, for their extracurricular events, for my husband’s needs, and for others I care about but—and this is a big but—when it comes to something I want just for me, I easily push it aside for “more important” tasks like cleaning, running errands, and the day-to-day operations of running my writing business. No wonder I can’t seem to get my photography and art hobby—err business—off the ground floor.

After meeting up with several artists who’ve made the commitment to work on their art every single day and seeing the rewards they’ve reaped from doing so, I can honestly say that it had me perplexed. Not because what they’ve done is complicated, confusing, or even difficult to understand but because I’ve been using the same formula for building my freelance writing business, for selling my e-books, and for building a reputation for my online magazine for years and I’ve yet to apply the same theories to my art or photography. Why?

For months I’ve tried to figure out a way to fit it all in but it has simply been impossible. I’d start the day with the business that brings in the money, then switch gears to housekeeper, mom, and wife. But by the time I was done, I was simply exhausted. There wasn’t any energy left at the end of the day for anything else—not art, not photography, not exercise, not personal recreation.

Jan Blencowe, Artist

Meet Jan

Jan Blencowe Artist

Buy Jan’s Art

Then last month I did something about it, or so I thought. I realized that maybe, just maybe, I had my hands in too many cookie jars and so I let go of business ventures that were once fruitful but had become wasters of both time and energy. I thought it would free up some time and in a sense it did. Instead of always feeling like I was running behind, I began to feel like everything was right where it was supposed to be—right on schedule. I was no longer frantic and I gave myself permission to have leisurely lunches and early morning breakfasts with my kids. But I kept to the same schedule, work then commitments and finally, hobby/me time. Guess what? I still ran out of time.

But then I interviewed Jan Blencowe, artist and instructor. And that’s when I realized I was doing things backwards. In the interview Jan said, “I usually paint first thing in the morning because that’s the best way for me to make sure I have time to paint, otherwise life crowds in and the time seems to evaporate.”

Yes! Yes! Yes! That makes perfect sense! Instead of rewarding myself with art and photography at the end of the day, I must reward myself first. How brilliant, and yet so simple! And because I work from home, it’s totally doable.

Posted in Art School | 2 Comments »