Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Artistic Values


Okay this is a weird struggle for me. Being an artist, I see things a little differently than the common left brain folk. Something I need to do for myself is step out of another box. My paintings are pretty decent, but I would love to be more edgy or more thought provoking. The problem always seems to come around to the fact of the people around me and what they might think. Yeah, it is easy to say who cares what they think. But in fact I do. Okay, yes I have a bit of a wild side, but they don't know this. My family and friends are pretty conservative and they're around me all the time wondering what I'm working on now. The only way I've thought of pulling this off, is to keep my painting normal kind of subjects and have the controversial piece put away. That just still seems like hiding to me and I'm tired of hiding. I just don't want to disappoint. But on the other hand, I'm allowing myself to suffer for it.


13 comments:

momentextase said...

Once my Ms M had a similar problem la roo. She does "series", no matter what medium she is working in at the time. Well, she wanted to do some very edgy stuff, and had your same concerns.

So, first she did a whole series of bare feet. She would sketch her feet sticking straight up as she lay stretched out on the day bed, then she would airbrush the the sketches. There were a lot of creative variations, some rendered as if they landscapes, as if the feet were trees, one with panties hung on a big toe..etc!!! She hung the new series up all over the house. They drew baffled comments, a few shocked ones too.

Soon everyone was use to this new thing... so next she did a whole series of penis and balls, like with th e feet, the penises were sticking straight up. She did variations again, some penises were like trees and the balls were hills, some were abstract, some photorealistic, my fav of those was a penis ejaculating as if it were a fountain, she titled that one "Yellwostone Penis." Again, like the last time, she hung the new series up everywhere, replacing the old series.

Again these drew baffle comments, some shocked.

But after the penis series, the more conservative family and friends were fairly well broken in!!!

So I guess my suggestion is start off fairly tame -and then do a shocker.

Sort of work people up to things!!! If they ask what it means, just say:
"I don't know, I'm just an artist!"
...and let the art do the talkin..

momentextase said...

Oh I forgot. I think a key in introducing people to new things, especially family...is to keep it playful -especially at first. Laughter is a great tension release!!
Also, remember - no matter what the reaction, your art can touch their own repressions in positive ways -even if they do not show that at first. We are all more similar than we are different.

Anonymous said...

Yeah maybe your coming out will give your family and friends permission to let their wild sides free too. For all you know they may be hiding some edgy stuff too.

Anonymous said...

ps. you are especially beautiful in this photo.

Anonymous said...

awesome...can i talk pictures of you?

La Roo said...

It will have to work itself out, hopefully I can just ease into different subjects and kind of get a feel for what I can and can't get away with. Then if it's to much, they don't have to see the piece.
Lets put it this way, I have a painting of bras and that didn't go over well with some. :)
You've got my curiousity up now I want to see
Ms M's work.

Very sweet of you chica. Thanks.

Thanks Sequoia. I think that would be hard, I live about 3000 miles away. :)

Jake lara said...

You should put some of your work up here and get a wider audience for it, you need people to see it who can appreciate it. That'll give you the confidence to show the people around you and what they think won't matter so much. Yep, get yourself an audience on the net :)

Jake lara said...

P.S. you do look lovely in that picture.

La Roo said...

Jake, one of my pieces is kind of on my blog.It's behind me on the one of me tickling my boob with the paint brush.
You have to be careful putting your work out there in a certain way so people can't reproduce it via giclee'.
I need to learn how to tone down the quality and modify them before posting them.
Thank you for the nice compliment.

Jake lara said...

All you do is make the pic the same size as it appears in the blog before you upload, a 2" x 2 1/2" pic will never blow up properly for someone to print out and put on a wall look at the size of the pics in Chica's blog, no-one could blow them up to frame them or look at the pics on the right of this copy and paste link

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/livesandtimes/

La Roo said...

I'll have to try that Jake. Thanks

Tony Stark said...

If you hide then you have to ask yourself, are you really creating "your" art? Remember, art is about expression.......not repression ;)

La Roo said...

You're right Tony, I have to keep telling myself that.
Thanks.