Words To Live By

"Completely true to nature! -- what a lie:

How could nature ever be constrained into a picture?

The smallest bit of nature is infinite!

And so he paints what he likes about it.

And what does he like? He likes what he can paint!"

~ Nietzsche

You tell me you can't draw.  I tell you that you can!

The art world is an amazing mix of personalities, perspectives, and  impressions.  It's easy to be intimidated and at the same time seduced by what you see.  Easy to be belittled, marginalized, or captured by the art.  But there's something inside you, something that connects to you, speaks to you, embraces you.

Recently I've been reading a lot about realistic artists.  People with such an amazing artistic talent that they can capture an image in paint and make it look so real that it is sometimes confused with a photograph.  Finely detailed, meticulously structured, gently shaded.  I admire the realist, but I don't connect.  Their snobbery and arrogance corrupt their art.  

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher, poet, composer, and cultural critic. He wrote about  religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, science, and, of course, art.   He had strong views of those who engaged in the superiority game, particularly the realist painter, as is evidenced by his quote above.

For the longest time, I convinced myself I couldn't draw, therefore I wasn't an artist. But the artist in me kept speaking, and eventually I had to find my own path in art...despite the critics.

To me there is no place for ego in art.  Ego, arrogance, elitism all erode true creativity.  It's passion, emotion, and connection that defines the artist, not the technique or technical skill.  I don't care what you studied, I don't care how long you have been doing it, I don't care how straight your lines are or how real your painted face is, if it's lifeless, devoid of passion, then I don't like it.

I am an artist, I create from the heart, my proportions are sometimes off, my skin-tones are sometimes sallow, my flowers don't always look like flowers.  But still, I'm an artist. You may like their work more than mine, you may prefer their colors over mine, but I will continue to paint anyway.

My passion lies in color, texture, and depth.  My artist eye is filled with shimmer and sparkle.  I know what I like, I know what connects to me.  I don't do it for an audience, I do it for survival.  I simply have to create or I will die.

You are the same, you too are an artist!   Find a way to give your artist a voice, let go of the false truth that you cannot draw, let go of proportion, let go of perfection. Is it color that you see?  Then embrace the colors, push into the texture, fall into the sparkle.  Let your passion fill the page. Pick up a brush and paint...just paint!

But despite it all, you can call me what you like, in the end I am just Dion.

This dragonfly was done from my place of passion.  I have a 'thing' for dragonfly's. The fact that I don't draw them perfectly doesn't matter. When you look at this picture, what do you see?  I'll tell you what you don't see...you don't see perfect proportions, you don't see masterful technique, you don't see realism. But do you see color? Do you see the depth?  Do you connect? 

If you do, then I want you to join me on A Taste of Silks.  This is a class that draws you into color, that  nudges you into texture, that gives your inner artist a chance to embrace the spectrum of expression, and silences your critic.  It is about the freedom of expression, the lusciousness of acrylics, and the dance of shimmer.

A Taste of Silks will take you on an exquisite journey of silky abundance, and I'll take you, gently, step-by-step through the process of creating beautiful art, including this dragonfly.  It's a lot easier than you think and it's not too late to sign up.  

For more information, or to register, click here.

Thanks for checking in. xx