Painting a Connection

(shown here - detail from pastel painting, "In Mother's Arms")

Of late I have found myself focusing on pieces that speak to connections - those between two people, a person to animal kinship, that very special mother and child bond, or even the relationship often so evident between two animals. These connections/feelings are so powerful and I want to be able to share them with the viewers of my work. I find myself so drawn into the individual story of each piece as I work on it . . . getting to know the person or animal on a very personal level and sharing their emotions as I work. I hope that my paintings speak to those who see them in a strong emotional way. I hope they tell stories, but at the same time remind the observer of a story in their own life or their own treasured connection.
To see "In Mother's Arms"  in it's entirety please visit http://www.hughbanksart.com/gallery/newworks.php

So Much Joy . . .

I have this quote by artist, Robert Bateman, beside my computer - "Most artists will never be famous, but that is not the point as long as they participate in the joy and struggle of creating art."
Now isn't that really the point of it all for those of us who do create art throughout our lifetimes? Mr. Bateman is quite correct that even though we do choose to paint or write or compose day after day, striving to make the next piece better than the one that came before it, most of use will never achieve any level of lasting fame or sustaining fortune from our art. However there is much to be said for the struggle itself and the satisfaction we feel when we achieve the next level or goal we have set for ourselves in our life's work. And the passion and joy we feel as we create the work with our own hands, or minds, or hearts can certainly be a reward worth accomplishing in itself. Creating something from within yourself certainly does bring so much joy!
I believe this to be true . . . and the other outside achievements beyond these when reached are truly icing on the cake.

Keep Moving Forward

This morning I read two quotes on Face Book that I thought applied particularly to artists. They were "Follow Your Dreams" and "Keep Moving Forward". Although we have often heard the first quote and the second is a staple in motivational speeches, both are so important for artists to keep in mind (either separately or jointly) as we more forward in pursuing our careers. The creation of our art is most certainly our dream and to continue to paint, sculpt or "make" art in whatever form in the face of adversity such as a poor economy, unkind comments from those who view our work, etc. most certainly requires a strong backbone to "follow our dreams". But follow them we do . . . and we must. Although we do often face negativity and roadblocks from other directions the desire to create our work - our passion - wins out and we make the decision to keep moving forward in the creation of pieces that express our own view of the world around us. Imagine what the world would be without art. Thank goodness artists do "keep moving forward" to "follow their dreams!"
Shown above "Fallen Birch" mural - visit http://www.hughbanksart.com/equine-art/murals.php to see more examples.

Painting Commissions

Working on commissions offer special challenges to artists - so much so that many artists will not even accept them at all, or not after an especially trying experience with a particular commission subject and/or client. It may be that there were just too many miniscule changes required along the way or that the artist never felt like they were allowed to put any part of their own artistic expression into the work. But for whatever reason after one or more unfortunate ventures into the world of commission work they choose to go there no more.

I, on the other hand, have enjoyed my experiences and the challenges of creating that extremely unique and special piece for the clients I have had the pleasure of working with over the past years. The painting, when you get it right, brings great joy to the purchaser (or the person they are giving it to) and that in turn brings an immeasurable amount of pleasure to me as an artist. What is a better feeling than to have your work "speak" to someone . . . and what an honor to be able to create another person's memory, vision, etc. as a treasured keepsake for them or their loved one. I have met some very wonderful folks along the way in this process that I am now quite please to be able to call "friend".

Juried Shows - Accepted or . . .

If you are a serious, working artist you are constantly putting yourself and your work "out there". This, of course, means that you are opening the door for comments both good and bad about your passion - your art. Artists must develop a thick skin and realize that everyone has an opinion about most things and this does include your art.

The ability to handle the rejection of your work pertains not only to an individual's remarks, but to those letters every practicing artist has received after submitting their work to juried shows. Even though we promise ourselves we will be strong, that the carefully worded rejection letter will not bother us, knowing intellectually that everything is subjective and the declined piece may well be an award winner in the next show we submit it to . . . the letter still stings and feels like a condemnation of our entire body of work and very often our very being as an artist. Many times these letters even state the number of pieces submitted and the number accepted and often the number accepted is extremely low in comparison. (For example the last one I received stated " . . . over 1000 pieces submitted . . . 200 were selected.") Logically this should make one realize it is not about your art being "bad", but more about limited space, etc. But guess what - it still made me feel horrible. I bet many of those other artists did, as well.

I have been a professional artist for quite a while now and I know these things happen. Believe it or not, I am handling all of this better than I did a few years ago. I just have to keep reminding myself to keep things more on an even plane - eliminate the extreme lows and euphoric highs and realize it all evens out in the end. After all, I am creating art because I love it. That's what it's really all about any way. This other stuff is icing on the cake.

Richeson 75 International Show

The Richeson 75 International Figure/Portrait Exhibition is currently showing both at the Richeson Gallery in Kimberly, WI and online at http://www.richeson75.com/portrait/index.html . What a fabulous show of diverse works of art with human beings as the subjects of those pieces. Once again, I am blown away by the range of work obtained in a show even when there is one subject specified (in this case people). Each artist's "take" on any given theme is so unique and where they go from there in creating that piece is certainly amazing. Add to that the fact that this competition was open to all media and you have quite a varied look at the figures/people around us.

My submission (shown above), "The Piper", is a pastel and shown in the Dry Media Gallery at http://www.richeson75.com/portrait/fpdrymediagal.html .
Enjoy your visit!

New Gallery

I'm excited today because I am now represented by Xanadu Gallery out of Scottsdale, AZ. This is, of course, in addition to the other fine galleries I currently show at. I think it is important as an artist to show your work in different venues in different parts of the country and certainly online exposure is important in the climate of today's art market, as well. I am looking forward to reaching out to new viewers and though my work is a bit more traditional (less contemporary in nature) than many of the other artists here, I am extremely excited about this venture.

Please see some of my selected pieces at Xanadu Gallery Online -www.xanadugallery.com/Art/ArtistGallery.asp?ArtistID=1591. I will be updating this site on a regular basis so visit often to see new work. Thanks for checking it out.
Happy painting!