Creating Art with a story, soul and a soundtrack.
My Artist instagram bio just changed!
But I feel I need to explain it a little bit more and what it means for you ...Now it reads
"Creating Art with a story, soul and a sound track" which feels far more me.
I regularly check my website for changes and needed updates, but a prompt in the Small Business C
ommunity from Amanda Hughes had me reflecting on it for far longer than I probably needed to BUT the result was identifying what is really important to me with what I create. A quick look at my Instagram feed tells you that I have quite a diverse range of interests. There are original paintings, pet portraits, jewellery, sketchbooks, workshops and wellbeing.
At first glance, they might not seem to have much in common.
So what actually does bind them together?
Heres what I mean when I say I create art with story, soul and a soundtrack.
STORY: Why is this painting here? What does it say to you?
SOUL: The part that no machine or AI will be able to convey
SOUNDTRACK: What do you hear when you look at the art? How does the music or music title add value to how you see the painting. We are so used to music adding to the visuals on TV and film, why not a still image too?
Watch the video of "You're mine" being received... it made me cry to see it! and why this is important to me.
A story isn't just painting a particular subject its the meaning behind it. A story in an art work is about the "why" and the "what"
Why is the painting important?
Why, if an animal or pet, are they painted in a certain pose.
What is the subject and what significance does it have?
Even the vintage music can have its own story, music I have been given by particular people or the marks and writing that appear on it, played and loved years before.
Sometimes the story belongs to the subject. Sometimes it belongs to the person commissioning the work. Sometimes it belongs to me
Soul is harder to explain. Soul isn't about putting my heart into a painting, every artist would say they do that.
Soul is the tiny brushstrokes or pen marks to create the perfect expression. It is about capturing personality more than recreating a photo. Soul isn't something you necessarily can see but you know its there the moment the eyes in the painting look at you in a way you remember. You might also get a hit of emotions you didn't expect. Soul for me is the relationship I have with the subject and getting to spend time with them. In a pet portrait I grow to love spending time with it, and its always a wrench when they leave the studio to go to their new home. Perhaps that's part of the soul too. The relationship between the artist and the subject.
"I can't believe you've captured her personality and spirit so perfectly! Your skill as an artist is exquisite" Z
Soundtrack isn't about painting on music because it looks pretty. If I'm painting on vintage music or creating jewellery with it, it needs a reason to be there. Soundtrack is how the music or the music related title influences how you "see" the painting. Sometimes the connection is obvious, sometimes its a more personal one. Music connects us on a different emotional level and music can change the way you see the painting. The music and how those musical hints make you feel is a part of the artwork.
Think about film and television. We're completely accustomed to music influencing how we experience an image. A scene can feel joyful, melancholy, tense, nostalgic or hopeful because of what we're hearing alongside it. So why shouldn't a still image have a soundtrack too? When you look at one of my paintings, I want you to be able to notice the visual. Then perhaps notice the music. Then notice the title.
And maybe those things change the way you see the painting.
A painting doesn't start when I pick up the paintbrush. With a story, soul and a soundtrack it starts much earlier. What makes a piece of art stop you? The story? The feeling? How it looks? Or is it something that you can't quite explain?
"I was stunned and in tears when I saw my beautiful baby... I can't thank you enough"
This kind of feedback makes it so worthwhile. Thank you to all those that entrust me with your fur babies, or buy my original art.
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