(Untitled)

[keristars]

it really frustrates me that i love art (2-d, 3-d, digital, folkart, all of it), and i really enjoy making art, especially collage, but i am completely unable to articulate what exactly i like or how i feel about certain things, and when it comes to making my own stuff, i don't know how to go from the abstract feelings in my head to something

Comments

[niyabinghi]

Well, first off, count your blessings because there's an awful lot of people out there who can spout off all sorts of wordy things about art but are incapable of having your kind of strong sensory and synaesthetic responses! It's interesting you write this, b/c I used to worry about this also, in my 20s, and felt terribly inadequate, even tho people usually responded strongly and positively to my artwork.

Relax a bit ~~ it's a good thing there, and I call it a gift :)

And I second the other commenters' suggestion to take an Art History survey course, usually in 2 parts, especially with an enthusiastic prof who loves the subject and wants to pass that on rather than stand there and sound pretentious.

You didn't mention painting, but if you're interested in that, there are two excellent artists from the 1920s' who's books I recommend: Robert Henri's "The Art Spirit", mostly a collection of his teaching notes, but a lot with very strong emphasis on the sensory experiences; and Harold Speed's book on oil painting materials and techniques. I think both are Dover reprints and fairly cheap thru Amazon.

[audrabaudra]

This. Especially the idea to be happy and pleased with yourself--you are an artist!

Also, try this: go to Scribd.com. Join up. Search on "art history." See what you find.

[keristars]

I always forget that scribd.com exists! Then someone reminds me and I get really excited about it, until I get distracted and forget again. :P

[keristars]

this is a link to a photo of my favorite of my paintings, though in an unfinished stage (the finished version has small, filled-in blue stars on the far right, maybe five or six of them, and skewed and off-center and stuff to match the ones on the left) I like it because of the simplicity of the elements, the strong colors (the orange is more vibrant and less of a pumpkin tone in reality), and the stars (I love stars).

I love painting. I've only used acrylics, but I really like the steps involved in using them. Thank you for the recommendations, I'm going to see if I can get them from the library! And the 1920s is probably my favorite decade for art - I did take a two-part art history survey course and really liked it, but it didn't help me much with articulating what it is about Art Nouveau or Art Deco (my favorite genres, but I also like early modern - the very stylized stuff - though I love a lot of others, too - I went to the Musee d'Orsay no less than 3 times when I spent two weeks in Paris, and I only went to the Louvre for one afternoon :P) that appeals to me so strongly, so I'm not really sure which bits I like to extract to use for myself. That semester we were rushed through the 20th century in art, though, so that might be why.

Thank you for the book recommendations. :)