I have a guru; she is an amazing woman. She counsels me, she is my mother/grandmother/priestess/sister.
In talking to her the other day, I related my concern about studying with other artists, lest their style infiltrate my work. Larry and I also had a conversation about this, as he is witness as to how other artists blatantly steal ideas and images, and call them their own, some of whom reap big benefits from it, while we little guys struggle.
I am concerned about being pure. I want to express to the world what I see in a voice that is uniquely me. I want to learn, but not be tainted by the visions of others.
But she told me, as did my mentor Jonathon Talbot, that the art world is built upon the knowledge of others. We don't always need to reinvent the wheel. Take the best from all that we learn, and forge our own path.
As long as I keep making art, that is all that matters.
To Peg and Jonathan - thank you.
Patti
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2 comments:
Our lives are molded by an ongoing rush of experiences and perceptions, so interacting with other artists is just another one of those things we experience and perceive through our personal vision. Working with other artists and experiencing their visions and styles is just another form of inspiration and learning. I do not see that it's any different that being inspired by Nature or music or daily experiences or your dreams.... an artist will always find a way to channel the experience and make it uniquely her own. Of course there are those people who just like to copy... but I don't think they're really artists. They're copycats.
I should have prefaced my blog....I have a painting in a local show. The jurors REALLY liked it but I found out that they thought it was someone elses, who ironically studied w/the same teacher that I did. I was dismayed, and felt that I had taken what I had learned to another level. After struggling with my identity as a painter for years, and getting a large piece in a show, it was sort of yucky to have someone think it was another person's painting. IT'S ME DAMN IT!!!!! lol...Carla, point well taken however. It's my own insecurities and therefore my post.
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