When is a Painting done? And Art Curation of the Future.
For Many Artists, knowing when a piece is done can be a tough decision.
I know for myself it is a visceral decision. And it is not a cohesive choice, which probably makes my work suffer from inconsistency or not enough 'branding'. Having a cohesive 'style' that is 'marketable' is often the advice du jour, but one that I obviously don't always follow.
When going through some pieces this morning I found the sketch and this piece.
Actually, that is the thumbnail so chosen as I don't like Steemit's version of cropping. Here is the entire piece with all three dogs.
What struck me as I came across my piece in my 'to be finished' pile was the gut reaction.
Having found it again it was as if it was not done by me. Although it had been created by my hand, the bit of time between it's current state and now gave it a freshness that I responded to. The positive reaction I felt about it made me say out loud, "Well, this piece IS done".
Here is the partial sketch I saved as well. (More detail is visible here, but the initial layers of my work was where I stopped and when I today decided it was Done.)
We can go on and on about "Art is subjective" or conversely "Art should conform to some rules of completion" but honestly it is up to the artist and their final result for the piece. If you ARE trying to gather a body of work that is cohesively recognizable then by all means, make sure that is the case. You will sell better and people will understand you more. IF your art is for your own joy first, well then, the hell with it, you say DONE when you think it is DONE.
Obviously I love to sell my work and making money from my art is a plus. However, it has never been my first primary focus which is why I have only ever done the 'galley' scene a bit. When the internet and technology world suddenly threw at all we creatives the possibility to simply join online companies and have our work reproduced on all sorts of things for people to buy, I jumped in with both feet. I thought it really amazing to see something I made on a coffee mug or a bed spread. This may be seen as not 'fine art' or of a 'true artist'.
For me I have never understood the need, in the artist community, to separate and label artists and their movements and results.
Fine Art, Commercial Art, Illustration, Graphic Design et al. I suppose it is important in a Gallery Museum system to catalog works and make such a place make more sense in its layout. However, for the individual artist I think these lines are blurring.
As we move into the digital world more and more how we make, view and experience art is changing.
In some ways I think of Andy Warhol and his 'factory' and how he was challenging the idea of High Art and the 'suffering poor artist in their drafty garret' with the mass production and colourful easily made art of Post WWII America and Advertising. He was just peeking in a Pandora's box that has now beginning to have it's cover removed. The Digital world and it's experience is growing by leaps and bounds and in 10 years how we even see and use data will most likely be so vastly different to our concept of Real World Art Gallery and Museum, that it might seem more 100 years apart.
With the world becoming more instantaneous and received vary differently by the individual, cataloging and division becomes harder. As the world becomes digital: the access to it is like a great buffet laid out for us and we each can just dig in choose what to eat and how to place it on our own plate in our own way. The conformity of the outside 'curator' is disappearing. The consumer/viewer comes upon work digitally now and can view it in any fashion or manner they so choose. The context of their work is in mind of the viewer and not the outside source who decided to place it in this or that category.
The curation of the future will happen more by the viewer and their decision on when and what to click upon in the digital world of art display.
But, I digress... another result of being an 'artist' and spending far too much time alone working and pontificating on one's work also results in far too many ideas and theories by merely coming across a piece of work and deciding on it's state of completion. There might be a bit of my Art History education thrown in there as well, for I cannot make a piece without dissecting it afterwards.
I am first the Artist and then the Art Historian.
This is sort of the criteria I use to decide when a piece is done. Whilst making it, I go along and work from the gut, when stepping back, I analyze that response to me and put it into context of previous works by me or other artists. And whether it is a scribble for fun, a study for a larger piece, or an idea for wallpaper, I treat it all the same.
- How do you decide when your work is "Finished"?
- Do you think a piece of art is ever really finished?
- What do you think the future of our digital world means for the value of 'Art'?
If you appreciate my work please feel free to upvote, resteem, and by all means comment.
I paint and I write and it's the same in both media. I have looked back at something I wrote eons ago and with new life in my eyes from later experiences I've perhaps tweaked or added. When I pick up a poem or a short story I once wrote, and the re-read offers up no further suggestions - it is done - and I smile. The same with my paintings, though with them if I go back and find one I am inclined to alter, I either redo the whole thing or simply blank over and paint something new. Those I finally sell or get into a frame are the only ones I consider complete for I can add no more, even if the mood takes me to do so. Life gives us new experiences and outlooks and lessons, so we are ever evolving in our outlook and perspective. Maybe no art is ever really complete???
So true and when we consider art in the viewer's mind is fresh with each look, they are always 'adding' to a piece as well.
couldn't agree more :D
and as always, your art looks amazing.
tho its a bit easier for me to choose when the drawing is finished - when i want to throw my pen out of the window and never look at this drawing again.
I like that, when you toss your tools aside, it's done. :)
Honestly, I still feel like 90% of all my work is just works in progress as years later I will pick a piece up again and completely change it from its original state.
I like picking up a piece sometime later as it feels like past self did all the hard base layout for me and now I can just take it easy with the piece. I imagine it a lot like the hobby of puzzle making. I can enjoy reworking it because there is no stress there, the works done.
Newer pieces are usually stressful because I am trying to improve myself. Old pieces I can see where I have room for improvement.
I try not to think too deeply about others work because art, like you said, is subjective.
Just do what pleases you and everyone else can make up their own oppinions.
I was gonna ask - do you make much in that shop? Been thinking about starting an online store. Was gonna try Etzy.
I make a pretty good daily stream of money, not tons. But at least a couple things a day sells on there, so I keep it going. Although, since Steemit, I haven't added to many things lately. I am working on a separate site that will be supplying those type of things through an outside vendor so I can earn more per piece then I do on there, but it's still in process. I think it's worth a try.
I only ever did etsy years ago when I was into reselling vintage things, not my artwork.
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While I have yet to market myself/my work on the level you do, I have made lots and lots of work (mostly with traditional media, though I'm becoming more digital every day).
When I'm making something for fun or experimentation purposes knowing when I've passed the finish line is not always important, since I like to push the limits and go art-crazy. I work on pieces like that until it feels like what I'm adding is actually negating from the overall work.
When I'm making more serious pieces, I lean on the fundamentals and go with my gut feeling. Intuition seems to do a good job there.
As far as the future of art in a digital world goes, I think people will always value the texture of a brushstroke in paint on a physical canvas. I also think physical/traditional-media art has the potential of becoming an endangered species as we morph into a digitized society - a society where digital art is already fitting nicely, thanks to the work of artists such as yourself. ☺
I used to only work in 'traditional' as well (oil painter, watercolour, and print maker) but moved digital firstly out of necessity. I was sick of trying to find a studio close to central London and decided to move digital and have never looked back. With that said I am thinking of working on a new mix of digital and physical printmaking this summer when I can get back out to my unheated out building studio.
Your summer plans sound exciting! In all my pondering on your questions, I didn't even consider the implications of MIXED MEDIA. You're coming full circle, from traditional to digital back to traditional. Satisfying.
From an outside perspective, I have to agree that this piece is "complete" as well. For me, the focus is put on the puggy on the right. I love the colors you chose here.
I think I have always gone with the "feeling" of it being done. I haven't done much art in the way of "traditional" thought processes... like, galleries or anything. And I am pretty experimental by nature with everything I do. I've never really liked the "artist scene" because I always got in trouble cause I have a hard time following art "rules". Haha.
Now I've gone off and done chicken chores and left this up. I don't remember what else I was going to say! Haha.
Another positive to digital is I can keep this piece as is and certainly add another layer and go in and add and add to my hearts content.
I have always disliked much of the 'artist scene' in most cases. And whenever a real life show was done I hated every minute of it. I am an introvert and to be 'on' for an evening takes its toll on me and I need like a week after to not talk to anyone, I now that sounds bad, but I really don't like that set up of being on show with the work.
Oh yeah, that is the amazing thing about digi art for sure!
I totally get that, and for me, it doesn't sound bad at all. But it does FEEL bad. Because when I go out for a day and be social, it takes me days of grumpy tiredness to recuperate! So I totally and completely get it!
amazing the post. i like
WOW. a beautiful drawing and a wonderful painting technique. I like that very much. congratulations dear friend
Thank you.
I write, and it is the same. I have poems from 15 years ago that I will find and polish up a bit, I feel a piece is never done if I want to change it. It may get shared or used or read, but it can always be tweaked. I paint a very little but not enough to have the same relationship to it as writing.
I actually love finding an old piece and making it better. I love to reread certain authors works and some of my writing I have read and reread in the same fashion. It is like having a perfect nugget of enjoyment <3 And your painting is gorgeous, another perfect nugget of enjoyment!
It is interesting to also think of writing in this way.
very good painting