Ask Yourself Questions
cactus wrens have my heart.
I paint them often - always striving to capture them in a certain way but never really getting there. They always come out just a little too "cute", which is great for the audience of cuteness, but is missing the mark for what I, the artist, am wanting to achieve in cactus wren paintings.
For years, I've blamed technique and the physical aspects of painting, thinking the paintings are "too small", "need further abstraction", or "maybe a more sophisticated color palette". I even tried the oiled natural wood frames to see if that wouldn't give them more of a gritty southwest feel. Recently, I've come to think that I've been missing the real crux of the issue. I believe it's less technique and more intention.
I happened upon this epiphany with journaling - asking myself questions and writing the answers, (quickly without too much thought). It's interesting how the pen seems to have the answers and writes out words that come from a place of untapped wisdom within yourself. My pen shared that I'm most impressed by these birds because they epitomize what I admire in the desert. They're sassy and tough. They build secure little fortresses of nests within spiny cholla cactus, defending them with all they've got. And honestly, they're actually not cute little wrens. They're sort of gawky with longish beaks and dinosaur like feet. For me, they might be a metaphor of motherhood or thriving in a tough spot, and cute doesn't exactly say that.
So how can we, as artists break out of our usual habitual moves in our art practice and find a way forward? Doing the same thing just doesn't work and a change of technique isn't always the answer. Results become possible when we are clear what we want to say and can feature the part of our subject that says that. With this change of intention, my sketchbook is filling up with some awkward and fierce little birds waiting to make their canvas debut.
Where can you clarify your own artistic intention?
Ask:
1. What am I trying to say?
2. What about my present results is missing that mark?
3. What features of my subject, feeling or emotion line up with my intended message?
4. How can I show that visually?
Hope this gives you some interesting insights!