Art Thread

[spinningmytires]

A place to post your art, (art therapy posts should go in this thread)

I love art, haven't done a lot since being a teen, I have a few bits that I think are good, drawings all of em, otherwise I'm learning.

This was a quick play with oil pastels on A6 paper

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This drawing I made during my late 20's. I felt very lost and fragmented during that time in my life. I was trying to hold myself together, trying to comfort myself, trying to feel a connection with something, even if, this were only a connection with the earth beneath me.

 

[Teasel]

It's so beautiful thank you for sharing it here. I so relate to that feeling, I've hung on to railings on buses and trains for more than just physical support many a time.

You've expressed this so beautifully here, do you do art often?

 

[spinningmytires]

It's so beautiful thank you for sharing it here. I so relate to that feeling, I've hung on to railings on buses and trains for more than just physical support many a time.

You've expressed this so beautifully here, do you do art often?

Thank you Teasel.

I haven’t drawn very often over the past year beyond a few horse drawings. After my parents and sister died 20+ years ago, I began drawing mostly imaginary people (head portraits) while living alone. The horses I’ve always drawn since childhood.

My more personal, if symbolic artwork, I did between my mid 20’s to late 40’s. Interesting these were nearly all imaginary women, drawn as reclining on the ground - later one was even drawn upside down while reclining on the ground. Whether this was significant to me, I don’t know. Yet if, I were to try to analyze why I’m drawing something in the way that I am, I’ll lose my connection with the drawing. In other words, I’ll lose touch with my intuition or deeper self (if that makes any sense). Sometimes, I think, my drawings are about my inner struggles — things I haven’t yet resolved.

Also, there are often repeated symbols in my work, such as, the flower-head, which really isn’t a flower at all, yet, it represents something of importance to me, if something needed. I know that when I draw this flower-head it evokes a warm gentle tenderness within me and it never fully materializes. There’s also a loneliness, a distance or longing between myself and it. These objects often also morph into other objects as I draw them. They might also represent various objects at the same time, not consciously recognized until years later.

Here’s a drawing I did during my early 30’s using the flower-head symbol. It represents more of a feeling rather than an actual flower - note its softly swirling lack of solidity.

 

[caroline_13]

It's so beautiful thank you for sharing it here. I so relate to that feeling, I've hung on to railings on buses and trains for more than just physical support many a time.

You've expressed this so beautifully here, do you do art often?

There is something about a metal pole that is safety, that makes me want to grab it and while I have a solid hold do beautiful moves from its safety. (I pole dance.)

 

[Teasel]

Yet if, I were to try to analyze why I’m drawing something in the way that I am, I’ll lose my connection with the drawing. In other words, I’ll lose touch with my intuition or deeper self (if that makes any sense). Sometimes, I think, my drawings are about my inner struggles

Understand this, being absolutely in the moment or flow of it is a lovely feeling and getting in the way of that isn't what you need hey.

Your art is so beautiful and expreasive and personal. I hope to get half as good in my art in time too.

Is there anything in particular stopping you making art more recently?

There is something about a metal pole that is safety, that makes me want to grab it and while I have a solid hold do beautiful moves from its safety. (I pole dance.)

I love this, and yes, it is safety

 

[Teasel]

This was painted with Sumi ink and a brush, and a rigger brush, no pre-drawing hence the proportions being a bit wonky. I do like it anyway

 

[Teasel]

And this the same, using a photo of mine as source

 

[caroline_13]

There is something about a metal pole that is safety, that makes me want to grab it and while I have a solid hold do beautiful moves from its safety. (I pole dance.)

Kara Walker has this piece of artwork called "Hanging On." I think that is the name of it. I cannot find it on the internet but it was in a magazine a few years ago.

It's not a silhouette, but a drawing of a girl/woman hanging on to a skinny tree branch with her legs akimbo, in the air.

 

[caroline_13]

This is the Kara Walker picture.

I guess her legs are each on a separate cliff of earth which looks like they are separating, leaving a void under her.

 

[Teasel]

Yeah, that doesn't look so safe as a metal pole!

 

[spinningmytires]

Is there anything in particular stopping you making art more recently?

Yes. too many stressors with a lack of energy are my main reasons for not doing much artwork lately. I’m not terribly depressed just wiped out, anemic, ANA positive … much bloodwork lately … I’ll know more in a few weeks.

However, this ballpoint pen sketch I created two days ago from my imagination with no pre planning nor much conscious thought. Because this sketch was only 3 inches in size, I was able to draw it very quickly without lifting my wrist nor pen far from the paper. So, this lttle drawing didn’t demand much energy - just my full, uninterrupted focus for about 60 seconds.

You might notice that there’s a skewing error seen along the left side of this head. I didn’t correct it. Skewing errors often occur when I’m drawing from my imagination with no reference. I wonder why my brain skews as I draw and why I won’t see these errors until I review my drawing reversed using a mirror or computer device. That's when I usually make corrections.

 

[spinningmytires]

This I’d painted from my imagination when I was age 26. What’s interesting about it is its disorganized fragmentation. At that time, I was trying to establish a meaningful relationship with a young man, yet, I was finding it difficult to identify myself as a young woman - if this was a self portrait.

I suspect, also, that I wasn’t yet able to think for myself at age 26. Looking at this fragmented painting. it was as if, I couldn’t complete a thought nor a sentence. There’s no commitment here, nothing is solidly established. Perhaps, I was too fearful or too unaware of my feelings to make a relevant statement. I use to suffer great anxiety when trying to paint from my imagination. Copy work however was fine. Whatever the case, I couldn’t complete this painting.

This is just one example but all of my paintings were extremely disorganized and imcomplete during that time. And to paint expressively, I know I must take possession of my thoughts and feelings.

When I was a child and having difficulty learning to speak due to my early TBI with aphasia, my mother would often correct my speech. I’m wondering if I might have mistakenly believed my mother was correcting my thoughts, as well, as my grammar. At that young age, I might have had difficulty differentiating the two.