I've just moved into the final semester of my second year at uni and this question is one I find myself trying to answer over and over again. As I begin to specialise in paint and start to call myself a painter I feel it is important for me to question myself and my process.
I'm going to start off by stating the obvious, I am not a writer, I've always struggled to put my thoughts onto paper and I often wonder if that's why I find so much comfort in the visual arts. Growing up, I was surrounded by creativity, both my parents are artists and have always been involved within the art community. There are many photos of me as a toddler flinging a paint brush above my head about to attack a canvas, there is something so liberating about paint and the process of painting for me. In the past I've always used it to express my views on issues that are important to me such as feminism, gender, body image and equality; yet recently, I've broken away from my pre-concieved idea that 'good' art MUST always have a deep meaning behind it. Removing this pressure has been liberating for me and has allowed me to grow and develop as an artist; even though my paintings don't directly link to feminism, for me they still say a lot. At the moment, my work is all about me as a young female painter, I'm discovering my voice, my process and how I can use paint to express myself to the fullest. I have a need and a want to paint.
The Exploration of Paint
'Why am I painting? Why am I painting what I am? Does everything need a big sentimental or deep meaning? I paint because I can. I paint because I need to. I want to explore paint. Move it around, remove it, add more to the canvas and sit and let it talk to me. Talk to me? What can I find in my paint.'
'A Stream of Consciousness'
Taken from my notebook
2020
Comments