Reflections
I’m taking the liberty of reflecting on this semester’s readings rather than giving you my life’s history. My education in art really didn’t start until I was an adult. My experiences, taking art classes from 1982 through 1987, were different from the main stream. Usually I was older or the same age as my professors. I know I was treated differently.
What have I learned from the readings of this course and how do I apply this to my artwork and teaching art?
Ellis, Revision (2009) writes from personal experiences. Her vivid writing brings the reader into what was happening. Her loss of her brother, her care-taker responsibility and her awareness of her community are very well written. Her writing brought memories of my own loss of my parents and my oldest brother. Losing my father caused me to realize a great change it in my life. My father was a tremendous influence not only to me but to my family. It made me think of my own mortality.
Marin, Chicano Visions (2002), has accumulated a fine collection of artwork showing the experiences of the Chicano community. The artists have illustrated their experiences into visual works. Many of the artists are or were muralists which during the 1970s and later was a form of protest against the established authorities. The causes which the Hispanic artist brought to the
attention of the public had an impact, both positive and negative. I remember the murals were assailed as graffiti and defacing property. I saw their work as protests against the treatment of their community, in particular the farm workers. Marin doesn’t write about his reasons for purchasing any of the pieces he acquired. It would be more interesting if he had written about his reactions.
Felstiner’s work is unique research based on the paintings of Charlotte Salomon. Felstiner, To Paint Her Life(1994), not only writes about Salomon’s paintings but gives us a history of the time period, the persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazis and a look at the official records kept by the Nazi government. Charlotte Salomon’s story as pieced together by Felstiner is tragic. The hesitation and then the inability to escape from the Nazi horror was a tragedy her family and so many others suffered.
What have I learned? From Ellis, I’ve learned to incorporate my personal observations and feelings in my writing. From Felstiner I’ve learned to do in-depth research about an artist and his/her work. From Marin, again, I learned to gain knowledge about the artists and interpret what motivated them to paint.
Up to this time, my painting has been motivated to record what I’m seeing. When doing a portrait, I intend to portray what the person looks like. Some
portraits move to an impressionistic approach. I feel the impressionistic approach brings out more of my personal statement and the personality of the subject. In painting portraits, I discovered portraying children is much easier than painting adults. In my experience, children will sit and be natural. Adults seem to put on a mask or assume an attitude. I took a painting back from one adult and waited a year before trying again. The second time was successful because this person was relaxed and was in a “happy place” – she didn’t put on her professional face. She was very happy with the results, so was I.
When I paint landscapes, my work has progressed to minimalism. Prior to that time, my paintings would be categorized as traditional realism. Originally, I painted in oils or acrylic and when I became more acquainted with watercolor my style became more fluid. Watercolor painting, in my experience, lends itself to more impressionistic work. It took me fifteen years until I was satisfied with my handling of this medium.
It was my lot in life to be born to white upper middle class, Irish-American, Roman Catholic family. I was not oppressed nor was I discriminated against, with the exception of being athletically challenged. I am left handed but it never bothered me. I was expected to conform to the perceived values of the community. Being an artist was not acceptable.
On reflection, I consider myself a recorder of the time in which I live. I painted a series of landscapes in Galveston. Many of the sites don’t exist now.
On painting the skyline of Corpus Christi, I went onto a marina dock wanting to paint the sail boats birthed there. The boats didn’t appeal to me but on looking back over the city, the many office building appeared as monoliths. I painted them and included the masts of the sail boats to contrast the different shapes. It was a contrast between the massive structures of the office buildings and the slim boat masts. (see illustration 3)
We were vacationing in Dublin, Ireland and made a day trip to Bray, which is a town south of Dublin. Bray is set against lush green hills which roll down to a narrow beach and the Irish Sea. I was fascinated by the variation of colors from the narrow beach, the painted walkway stanchions and the green hill to the south. Painting there gave me a feeling of my Irish heritage and I understood why the Irish emigrants missed their country. For some reason, I’m always returning to the sea and ocean. I want to return to Ireland someday to do more paintings.
With respect to incorporating these writing methods in teaching art, I would encourage my participants (students) to contemplate and write down their thoughts-what they want to accomplish when creating. I would encourage starting a journal so that my students/participants can remember what prompted them to paint? I, myself, have half dozen books filled with quick sketches. Some preliminary sketches compose a painting without comment on my reaction to the subject. Looking at these books it would have been better to at least know where I was at the time and have a date recorded. As painters, we decide what colors we are going to use – write down, in the
journal, why. We decide what is the center of interest – write it down. We compose our picture – write about what we see. I have a habit of making a small sketch when composing a painting. I should include that in the journal and explain what prompted me to choose this location or subject.
In teaching about some other artist’s work, I would encourage my students to research the artist’s background including when he/she lived, what country and who influenced them. They should include what national or international events were occurring at the time they painted or sculpted. This would give the students a better appreciation of the artist and their work.
In conclusion, I have learned a great deal about writing. The personal aspect brings to the reader a voice of a person and not a machine. The inclusion of the first person in writing allows the reader to share in an experience. Sometimes the reader can personally associate with what is written and empathize with the writer. Other times its gaining knowledge, not from a data base but from someone who shares their knowledge.
