'Seeing Red'
13" x 16"
acrylic on wood
I recently got some less than enthusiastic feedback on my "spot" paintings. It was from someone in the business. Someone whose opinion I respect. So, I will take a break from them. I take this criticism as an opportunity to grow and explore. I can always come back to them and more than likely you will see aspects of them in whatever I do in the future. Sometimes the bottom line has to be sales-unfortunately.
It's always challenging to get feedback - even positive feedback- becasue it can soak in and leave a scum. But in time you'll have your own answer. Back when I did that first show at River Gallery, a well known author sort of painter too [had a big name book out] came to the show- and then emailed me her enthusiasm for my work. But she went into this long involved 'critique' of which i didn't ask for- I didn't know her from Adam. personally, i didn't even like her paintings but would never think to tell her that [who cares what I thought] but she told me the words I always used in my work were 'corny' and should be 'eliminated". She said because she was a writer she felt that way. I took it too heart, but more in a 'I'll show her' way and kept using my words. I told her my words told a story I wanted to combine with art and to me, they finished the painting. Now I realize 10 years later, she was neither wrong nor right- but the words were a stepping stone for me, a way to gain confidence to write more, or tell story, and I still put words in my art, but in a different way. And I still think she was arrogant to give me the opinion - when I hadn't ask for it! Rock on with your spots or whatever you want to.
ReplyDeletek-thanks! I agree. the more i think about it and paint about it I pretty much, in my mind, decided yes, I will rock on with this as long as I'm "feelin it" because I think it's a stepping stone to something...or not but I'm not quitting just because they're not selling.
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