New Avenues

Since I have taken so many classes with amazing instructors and artists recently, as well as discovered so many many other artists whose aesthetic is similar to mine, I've begun to really feel lost in my art. I have a hard time following prompts in my classes and even just finishing a painting. The only paintings that have really progressed to me liking are paintings that had zero influence from other artists. I guess that's part of finding your own voice as a budding artist, but it's definitely frustrating.

Doodle I did for A Year of Painting with Alena Hennessy using a resist technique

Learning about new techniques and products can be overwhelming. I've been feeling like someone who just discovered cake for the first time and wants to east ALL. THE. CAKE. And inevitably gets sick. It's been overwhelming but also joyful.

Recently I've become really interested in digital art - mainly pattern making, and scanning art to digitally manipulate it. When my husband had to get a tablet for work, I mentioned wanting an art tablet and he bought one for me on the spot, saying I needed it, need it to grow. The fact that he has such faith in my potential astounded me and overwhelmed me. I am not tech savvy. I sit her typing - heck, pecking - away at the keyboard with two fingers. So when I got home and couldn't even figure out how to install the dumb thing, I became really scared. I had this huge lump in my throat, couldn't sleep, and wouldn't touch the tablet for days.

Thank God for the internet though, because one thing I'm really good at is research, and so I watched and read a lot of tutorials.

I have A LOT left to learn, but in the mean time I am having an insane amount of fun on this tablet. (It is a wacom intuous, by the way.)

Above is my first finished "painting". I used stencils, paint, paint roller, collage paper, and even some hand drawing (the flowers were hand drawn - that was the hardest part. Drawing on a tablet while looking at the computer screen is a huge adjustment. I really think those flowers unite all the abstract elements of the painting, though. Love!)

It's exciting to see how many possibilities and options there are out there for growth as an artist. I haven't found my niche yet, but I know I will.