Monday, August 23, 2010

The Country Fair

So, we had a country fair here recently.  On the 17th and 18th of August actually, and I decided to enter a few of my photos and artworks.  This is how it all came to pass. :)

In the Digital Art Category I received First place for my Seasons entry.

Now I do admit there were not alot of entries to this category, as it is fairly new, but first is first I guess. lol


Next is a still life of a fruit bowl that got First in the Pencil/Charcoal Drawings - Still Life Category.  Now I know what you're thinking, "A fruit bowl!  How original."  But we all have to start somewhere.  As for this drawing, it was actually a late night insomnia project.  It turned out better that I expected so I entered it.

This is one of the first paintings that I have done in over 15 years.  I was so proud of myself that I actually finished it that I entered it.  It ended up in Third place but I still think it's a winner in my book.  It now holds a place of honor on the wall in my kids room, as they liked it so much!
Now for the photos.  My Brothers Forever received First in the Over 5X7 Sunset/Sunrise Category.  The two people in the photo are my boys who were wonderful enough to pose for me, all the while fighting off mosquitoes.  It now hangs framed on my livingroom wall.
My Long Walk Home (top right) got second in the Landscape Category, while my Jagged Gorgeous Winter (bottom left) did not place.
Receiving First in the Misc. Category was The Forgotten.  All three winter photos were donated to the local library for display.

While the country fair is not as big as some other places, we do attract people for miles around.  Some people travel up to 2 hours away to enter their works.  So I am very happy and pleased with the outcome of my entries. 

Hope you all have had an awesome couple of weeks!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Into The Mind Of Karin Taylor

Every month or so I'm going to do a feature on an Artist that I have had the pleasure of meeting on the World Wide Web.

 For my first interview, the one and only Karin Taylor popped into my head. I "met" Karin on Redbubble, where she has become a great friend and inspiration to many people.  When I first stumbled upon Karin's Profile I knew that I had found something special.  I immediately added her to my watchlist.  She seems to be everywhere, commenting here, giving tips and advice there.  Always ready to give a helping hand to the new, inexperienced artist as well as the artists that just need a little help now and then.  I am extremely happy that she has agreed to answer a few questions for me.
How would you describe your style of Art?

It’s really difficult to classify my art style, there are elements of ‘native art’, ‘expressionism’, ‘folk art’ and sometimes ‘surrealism’.

A new depth of emotion has revealed itself more so lately in my work, which was absent in the early days of painting. I have become more in touch with my emotional side and now draw quite a bit of inspiration from that source, as well as music, poetry, people, stories, magazines, books, etc.

At first I was experimenting with mediums like ink, chalk pastels, oils, acrylics and water colour. In more recent times I’ve settled into drawing my images by hand and painting them using a wacom graphics tablet and/or mouse in Photoshop. This method of colouring is what appeals to me at the moment, but at a later stage I may make a return to real paints.

I attempt to engage the viewer through the eyes or the actions of my subject, I like to communicate some aspect of myself which they might also relate to, a common theme, or a nostalgic theme and in doing so, form a basis for a relationship between the art, the artist and the viewer ... this connection I seek is increasingly important to me, my way of making a meaningful contribution. It is of utmost importance to me, I feel it grants me credibility and helps me to be more accessible as I’m a bit of a hermit. Without this contribution which is so important to me, i fear life would have less meaning….and if life has less meaning, and I would be in trouble deep.

Early on, it was always my intention to relax or humour the viewer, to be a calming influence, but I became discontent with that, seemingly too simple ideal.

I wanted to convey more depth….so, i think this is where the “expressionism” style began to show itself more….and this is when the personal journey of my creative life really began. I discovered that although art which conveyed an emotional message used to once daunt and repel me, I became more and more fascinated by the concept or “expressionism” and determined to do so through my own art, which granted me a new understanding and respect for artists who were also doing this….at first it annoyed me that an artist might try to manipulate my emotions through their creations, a strange sort of resentment crept in…and yet, in many ways, this is what my own intention as an artist would boil down to…the distinct intention to draw from the viewer an emotional response in the hope of making or forming a connection with them, with total strangers or with family and friend, without having to use any words at all….this is my life’s work, it is the most important thing to me in the the creative life. That may change, as we all do change, we are constantly evolving.

What is your favorite Art medium?

My favourite art medium is digital…which you could possibly categorise as tradigital….my other favourite mediums in order of enjoyment would be mechanical pencils, charcoal, oils, inks, pastels, acrylics, coloured pencils.

If you only had one sentence to inspire someone, what would you say?

I would say to them, "I believe in you…I trust that you know the answers, you have them in your heart…don’t be afraid to follow your instincts and listen to that voice inside your head, the positive one….the one that sits alongside the negative voice….it’s much more important to listen to the positive voice and turn up the volume."

What type of workspace do you prefer, messy or neat?

I prefer a very ordered neat and tidy workspace, which I mess up as I go, into what looks like the aftermath of an apocalypse …anything less, I’m not fulfilled… lol… but then it’s a tedious and boring clean up…which i like to procrastinate about for a while… :)

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?

This is such a difficult question, had you said the universe I could have answered the moon…a place in the world where I would like to go, must be Greece and Florida waterways, I want to visit the water in Mexico…basically I want to visit the water….wherever there are beautiful bodies of water, that is where I want to be….for looking into the water is the greatest goodness for me, it’s very healing and very soothing and calming…..I forget everything around me when I can be near the water….when I am away from the water, I am a different person….something is missing from my life…and I live in a state of grieving…that’s how fundamental it is for me to live near water.
Hawaii and Tahiti are two other destinations I’d like to see…and I’d also love to return to Keswick Island one day, where we holidayed when I was a child, at that time, it was an uninhabited island….if I could, I would keep a lighthouse on top of a lonely hill with just the eagles and goats and wildlife for company and the rugged sea as my friend….that would suit me so well. All in all, I am a solitary person who enjoys a solitary life, but I do enjoy my little family and a smattering of friends too….however, I don’t catch up with people very much, I’m more a quiet soul.

I would like to thank Karin for taking the time to do this interview, and to those of you who would like to check out Karin's Redbubble Gallery and Store, just follow any of the links.