What do we want our work to say

[sharon young]

I was recently having a discussion with a friend who is currently doing a Fine Art degree, and during one of her crits she was asked, “what do you want the work to say?" Yes that old chestnut I hear you say :-) but it did make me think and after we had disected my most recent ongoing project and I thought it would be interesting to see what other felt about this.

[sharon young]

Your last paragraph was very interesting regarding lack of time acting as creative catalyst, my son said something very similar the other day. He works as an editor for the BBC and has just moved on to a more high profile porgram where he has to think on his feet, and he said it's definitely made his work more creative. He always tells me I think too much :-) too much of a control freek too! When I worked to a two week deadline at college I think was much more creative.
I did do a piece in exactly the same way as you describe in the first part of your post and discovered a face, which I then took on to embroider. It became a favourite piece of mine as I felt that the face had appeared as a gift! I got the idea from a fabulous book entitled Discovering the inner eye , Virgnia Cobb, Watson Guptill publications, one of my very favourite publishers.

[Fairywebmother]

I think I have always used my inner eye! :) I see faces everywhere! I love to scan my paint rags into the computer and bring out the faces I see! There is a little demo of that, on my Website. To me, there are other worlds in all the colors and textures out there. I once saw the most incredible face...in the dirt on my kitchen floor! Honestly, I wish I had photographed it, before I picked up the mop...sigh...

[Fabricslut]

I love this! I will now tell friends and family that the dirt on my kitchen floor has to stay there for artistic inspiration. I'm seriously going to start looking at the muddy footprints from my greyhounds from a much different perspective and keep my camera handy.

[Maureen Grantham]

I find more and more my work makes a political statement. f that is the way my work pans out I try to point this up in the title. I can't plan work in advance, I have to let the fabric and threads speak to me, so I suspect the political part comes out of some deep thought process that is going on in my head.

[sharon young]

Hi Maureen, have just been to your blog and my what a feast!! I think you're right about the subliminal thoughts that pervade the piece as we work it, it seems to go on all the time. The interesting thing is that my granddaughter picks up on this in my work long before i do and will point it out to me. She's the only one of my family that does this, but we are very close and have similar personalities, so maybe it's visual telepathy, there's a thought !!!

[nexus7]

I am not sure what I wantmy picutes to say - the process can be more important than the result.

I think my best ones have a kind of a zen about them, so that there is nothing superfluous or out of place in the composition. And I do hope that somethng of the sense of theprocess comes through.

[Emily Davlin]

Art, to me means freedom....freedom of expression...freedom from stress and the world's expectations of me. I made my own clothes for may years, and developed the skills to re-create exactly what the pattern showed.. Until I became a beader , I was more concerned with perfection. After a few years , I took the plunge into seed beads.....and my whole dynamic changed. I finally valdated the fact that I am a totally visual person. The infinite colors and variety of thes tiny wonders never cease to amaze me. My work has become very free-form and even I cannot duplicate one of my necklaces. my art has become me...and I have become my art. I am well known as the "bead-lady".....you know, the one with the big necklaces. I wear my finge earrings every day ....they have become my "uniform."
Since I no longer have the desire to sell my work, I have felt more free than ever. Art is the personal joy in my life .A place where I can be quiet and just enjoy myself . It always surprises me to hear anyone say "I'm not artistic". I tell them... "pick up a brush or some colored pencils or...BEADS and go where it takes you. Perfection has killed many an artistic soul before they are able to try their wings.....especially in school. Children should be required to color outside the lines....because outside the lines is where the ARt in all of us lives.

[Victoria Gertenbach]

Hmm, this is an interesting question. I know that when I look at other peoples work, I never ask myself "What are they trying to say?" (Because even if I thought I knew, I'd probably be wrong!) Instead I just pay attention to how I respond to the piece.
The best feeling is when I see a piece of art and my response is so deep within, that I feel as if I am reconnecting to something I once knew, before I was even born. I guess that sounds a bit "space-y", but it's the best way I can think of to describe it!
When I work, I tend to also work from a intuitive place, rather then from an intellectual place, so again I am not trying to convey a message as much as a feeling. And the feeling could be humorous, political, reflective, nostalgic, or just a connecting of something non-spoken, but understood. And like many others, I listen to my work, allowing the piece to guide me and tell me what it wants to be.

[sharon young]

Hi Victoria, what a great description of your response to a piece of art work. i think I would find it very hard to put into words how i respond to other people's artwork, sometimes I don't know why i like it or don't, and at other times I find the feeling is overwhelming, one way or the other, and then it's been a worthwhile trip to wherever i've been to see it.

[pat winter]

I never thought about it before, so I guess I want my work to say,"She is really having fun playing with fabrics,lace,beads,and silk ribbon". I am not interested in making an artistic statement as much as I am in making a pretty piece that is eye friendly. I want the viewer of my work to smile and feel blissful. Each of my pieces, no matter if it is a quilt or purse, is never planned,and just evolves as I go along.
Then again, I am no Art student,so I feel freedom to do as I please and not follow rules. I know this does not work for everyone, that is why we enjoy each other's work. Individuality is a good thing.

[Mary Hubbard]

Hi. I'm new here :o) but I wanted to comment too. Everything I make seems to come from how my children see things. Mainly my two daughters. When I look at them and listen to them, they are so sweet and happy that I find myself drawing animals, girls and flowers in their most basic forms with the brightest colors -- and I can't seem to help myself --- lots and lots of sequins and beads! I am currently doing a series of girls based on my daughters -- they are excited about it and I'm having fun. They make me smile and make my daughters happy. For me, that's really all that matters. Mary