In 2021 I made the decision to move my creative painting forward by seeking ways to differentiate my work from the other artists around me.
Differentiation – the action of differentiating or distinguishing between two or more things or people.......
For some years I painted traditional portraits and landscapes in acrylics, developing my own style, but I was still part of a large pool of talented artists. I sold my paintings and they contributed to the growth in my exhibition opportunities and helped build a following on social media, but I often found myself in competition with better artists painting the same subjects and every day I felt less creative energy and a little stuck with my audience’s expectations of what I should be painting.
So I took a step to restore my urge to create.
Inspired by two major exhibitions by David Hockney RA which featured his iPad digital paintings I bought a less expensive tablet and started to sketch. Then I started to paint. Then I started to create.
I also did something else I had never done before, I started to paint abstracts.
During 2022 I have only shown digital paintings in an effort to introduce the medium to my audience and to refine my approach to using all of the tools within my painting software: watercolours, oils, pastels, chalks, sponges , sprays, air brushes, rollers..... I could go on.
What have I gained? Minimal sales at present, but now I am enjoying being creative and I especially enjoy the reaction from my audience when they try to understand the painting method and the resulting painting.
I’m still exhibiting with lots of very talented artists, but now I know that I’m also a creative artist whose work can be distinguished from everyone else.
Will this to lead to recognition within the international art world? I very much doubt it, but it doesn’t matter because I’m actually enjoying the process of being creative now, and I know it’s my art.
M.
P.S. I’ll still venture out to paint plein air but that’s just for fun now.