DocSusan cares and shares with special updates

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Apart from creating her own original artwork, DocSusan welcomes commissions.

PROJECTS AND IDEAS, like these, are ongoing:

• A unique brand of "Few Of a Kind" reproductions: individual pieces and series that are ideal for smaller spaces and budgets—for instance, "Snack Happy" food art, intended to appeal to a variety of tastes, no pun intended. This image is only one example...

• An "Animal Magic" collection inspired by special adventures in Africa —elephants, giraffes, lions, and zebras, for starters. This sketch waw simply a warm-up...

• An imaginative "doodlemania" collection that's the culmination of many years' practice —doodles that validate and transform natural inclinations, while taking on flavors of ever-changing surroundings. This exploration was just a starting point...

DocSusan's doodle creations are as purposeful as they are appealing, and defy negative connotations associated with conventional dictionary definitions.

The Times English Dictionary and Thesaurus, HarperCollins (2000) offers four definitions for "doodle":

1. to scribble or draw aimlessly
2. to play or improvise idly
3. to dawdle or waste time
4. a shape, picture, etc. drawn aimlessly

Please check this site's advisor self-help galleries to view alternative therapeutic doodling ideas and outcomes.

• "Organic Art" à la DocSusan

My doodles are ever-evolving—becoming more "organic" over time, especially when painted. Instead of working images one-by-one, drawing then coloring (or coloring then drawing) until finished, I feel compelled to develop several simultaneously. They have multiple layers and follow no particular plan: limit artistic-control and -deliberateness, boosting surprise and magic. The artwork is alive: a "vital organism" showing me the way!

Details about my "organic paintings" as they emerge:

1. Product/messages:
- encourage spontaneity
- avoid planning
- go layer by layer and detail by detail
- welcome surprise (don't force)

2. Method/technique:
- paint the ground first till the canvas is covered
- develop twirls and swirls: whatever's possible
- play with the paint
- experiment with colors, brushstrokes, shapes, composition

3. Hands-on tips:
- go slowly, carefully, and tidily
- turn the canvas around, and paint from different angles
- step forward and back, and see the whole picture
- make each painting session a fresh beginning

 

You might also like to check this site's advisor self-help galleries to view alternative therapeutic doodling ideas and outcomes.

During my time in Florence at the Biennale, and on other adjacent travels, working in a sketch book, outside of the studio, helped prompt change (even if unconscious). I believe we often do things over and again till we've had enough of them. This was likely the case with my more familiar doodles. I reached the point where I couldn't repeat them anymore, and, gradually, was making modifications in their methodology and look. On returning to my studio, my newer paintings (created from 07 into 08 for Art Expo and The Artist's Project), I noticed, underwent a similar (but more rapid) revamp.

Sketches from late 2007 into early 2008 are displayed below. They record the transition from "doodle" to "organic art," with a sampling of 5 x 7 in. crayon and ink on paper images. These are included in order of creation.

 

The Arts Scoops category on DocSusan's blog has my most recent news and information about artists' processes. The "tricks of the trade" and cautions included on this website page are adapted from there.

Many artists don't like to reveal "trade secrets." Others, like myself, see this as an essential part of our vocation —a way of generating excitement about the powers of creativity, educating/informing others, and learning along the way...

Entries are listed in alphabetical order. Please, just, scroll down the page to check them out:

• Agreements
• Dealers' and Jurors' Mistakes
• Expectations and Disappointments
• Isolation and Community
• Luck and Timing
• Materials—Preferred
• Painting and Perseverance
• Painting More Thank One Piece at a Time
• Painting Stages—for Abstracts
• Painting Stages—for Still Life and/or a Model
• Rejection Protection
• Supports

Please note: Additional topics are added as and when they emerge. You may, also, find additional reflections in the Buon Appetito! Gallery (under the header "Candid Artistic Ramblings").

• Agreements

No matter what’s declared orally, or signed and sealed on paper, certain details can still manage to be open to interpretation. At the end of the day, all parties, directly involved (or not), know what’s right/intended. However, not everyone has a conscience. Some can live with deception (and themselves) better than others. Painters are vulnerable and will risk a lot to have their work recognized. However, they should never jeopardize their finances, integrity, spirit, or self-confidence in the process.

• Dealers' and Jurors' Mistakes

Making mistakes is part of the human condition. Even if dealers and jurors are in "power positions" they might not always act fairly or honestly (intentionally and not). Instead, they might reveal opinions, biases, and short-cuts that highlight deficiencies. Some are better at hiding this than others. Should there be a hint that someone might not be an equitable and straight-shooting art aficionado, move on. Don’t push to make them like or endorse you or your artistry. Momentary gain might lead to long-term pain.

• Expectations and Disappointments

Painters need to be able to:

1. Handle rejection, over and over and over again.
2. Pay fees for workshops, associations, competitions, and mailings that might not bear fruit.
3. Start each new project with excitement, even if the chances of having it recognized are slim to none.
4. Spend a lot of alone time to engage fully in the creative process and reap maximum benefit.
5. Realize that skill, technique, and talent all need to be honed. While some people get lucky breaks early on, most are plodders.
6. Accept that if you don’t succeed in public, you shouldn’t give up in private. Sometimes the act of creating is rewarding in itself. It is nice to be recognized and appreciated, but that doesn’t always happen, and we can’t be hard on ourselves because of this.

• Isolation and Community

An "emerging artist" who paints professionally, nearly full-time, can have a very isolating existence. So, the company of others who can relate and understand is very important—joining artists' groups. The possibility of being among other artists and watching their paintings develop, as well as having reassuring and kind experts on hand, is an important gift. After workshops and meetings, I usually come home reinvigorated—happy to feel part of a community of practitioners that value their artistic vocation—as well as the skill, perseverance, and camaraderie it takes to keep going.

• Luck and Timing

Like it or not, sometimes painters' skills and techniques seem to matter far less than their luck and timing:

1. Many painters are famous posthumously, no matter the lengths they go to in their lifetimes.
2. Networking matters, as much as (and more so) than in any other industry.
3. The world is changing and so are standards and trends in visual arts: everyone needs to stay current with what’s out there, even genres that are unfamiliar.
4. Creative property is precious, and ideas get stolen all the time. Be careful in choosing those with whom to share personal projects. The less said/shown the better.
5. Even if ideas (and entire projects) get stolen, they won’t be realized in the same way as the originator of those ideas intended. Authenticity and drive are essential to any creative work, as well as the need to be passionate about what’s being created. Copycats have their limitations, especially if financial gain and short-cuts are their chief goals.
6. Don't give up, come back to something later. It’s good to put things away and then look at them with fresh eyes. Just as an individual and her thoughts might change, so too does the world and its markets.

• Materials—Preferred

The media I use most frequently, include:

1. Oil-based colors that come straight out of the tube, no medium added—except odorless Turpenoid by Weber, as necessary.
2. Once the painting is dry, a layer of Liquin Fine Details by Winsor and Newton is applied.
3. Turpenoid Naturals is my brush cleaner of choice (also by Weber).

• Painting and Perseverance

A painting doesn’t work out every time. So, how do you know when to give up and when to keep persevering? What keeps me going? And, what have I learned through trial and error?

My experiences have been to:

1. Try, try and try again. If you’ve tried your hardest, and still feel stuck, or are not getting anything else done, move on. I usually put a two-week limit on such a process!

2. Do things in small chunks. Work on it. Leave it. Go back to it. Bit by bit, changes happen, and hard work and patience pay off. Some of my better pieces are an outcome of such a methodology!

3. Never throw anything out right away. If you don’t like how something’s going, leave it for a while. Over time you may feel differently, and be prepared to go back to it—with fresh eyes and hand. At a later stage, if you still see things the same way, you’ll be more justified in moving on. Nevertheless, someone else might enjoy it, just the way it is! There’s a gut instinct that’s hard to deny. When I know something’s "wrong" for me, it usually is—even if it is not for somebody else…

4. Take a break from certain subject-matter, then go back to it fresh. For instance, if you’re painting onions, and they haven’t been turning out how you were hoping, take an onion break. When you come back to them, don’t think of the piece you did before. Start fresh, and you might be surprised with the results. By doing this, I realize, I’ve guided myself, quite naturally, away from previous pit-falls, putting more effort into areas that were problematic before and learning and growing on the way.

5. Recognize that not every piece can be a great one. A rhythm and energy emerges over which we have no control. It effects creative powers, technical skills, and imagination, alike. Regardless of what others think and favor, we, ourselves, know when we’re "on," and when we’re not. I’ve had to accept that I need to go a little easier on myself—that painting has a for-ever learning curve…

6. Step back and see the story that artwork may tell over time. When I’m down on myself—usually for being technically incapable, I look at my journey, and recognize what I couldn’t do before, wondering how I got from there to here. Practice, practice, practice, and not giving up, despite the time and effort required, usually, are what get me to the place I’d like to be (even if others don’t recognize it—or see the marketability of my work).

7. Remember there’s art and there’s ?art. Many galleries and dealers are only interested in your work’s $$$$$ value, and will tell you that quite bluntly. However, true artists, don’t just paint with sales in mind. Their non-scientific brains won’t let them work that way. I have come to hope that what I produce will find or create a market. It’s what I know and can do, authentically, and anything else would be forced—probably not work out as others might like (at least for me).

8. Accept that art is more of a "business" than ever. To "get there," it seems, you don’t just need to know how to paint, you need to be computer/internet/ marketing savvy, as well. Some artists who appear to be more "successful" have teams of assistants behind them—able to put them out there/turn them into "brands" with multi-media clout. I do what I can as a one-woman operation, and ache when spending less time painting and more time on all the other "administrivia necessities"…

9. Marvel when a painting works, or surpasses expectations. Being able to paint is a gift that not every one is able to develop to its full potential. Be thankful for managing to fit in the time and application to be able to take the calling/talent as far as it can go. I am truly grateful each time a piece comes anywhere close to meeting my unreasonable "standards." Sometimes, I don’t realize it at the time, but others (positive) feedback often helps keep me going…

10. Know that we all have limits and options. Not everyone makes the choice to try and paint/values the vocation. Some shudder at even the thought of holding a brush. Others announce, quite categorically, that an experience in elementary school has put them off for life. It’s not good to always be making comparisons with other people. But, sometimes, I realize that showing the courage to pursue painting is something many others shy away from—even before experiencing all the struggles entailed. I know I need to pat myself on the back, more often, simply for not giving up!

• Painting More Than One Piece at a Time

Depending on the size of the pieces, I can have up to a dozen works on the go at once—each at the same or different stages, depending on their nature.

For series of paintings, I usually:

1. Consider the bigger whole before the individual parts.
2. Work on each individual part as though it is an only part.
3. (Re)arrange the individual pieces that make up the greater whole, using Photoshop.

• Painting Stages—for Abstracts

For larger abstract pieces, I usually:

1. Come up with a concept, color scheme, or style as a "jumping off point."
2. Decide on size, scale, and media.
3. Consider the colors and applications with which I might want to begin.
4. Organize the easel/palette/room set-up—especially if I'm working on several pieces at once and want to give similar treatment to each.
5. Prepare hanging hardware suitable to the media (and attach it).
6. Paint in layers: under-painting, mid-painting, final painting—and all stages in between and after.
7. Glaze the painting to complete it.
8. Paint around the painting's edges in acrylic, by color-matching from the oil painting, itself.

The whole production process can take months. This allows for spontaneity, randomness, and surprises. Also, I don't like to waste paint, and this type of work provides a special way to use up paint left over on my palette from other (non-abstract) pieces.

• Painting Stages—for Still Life or a Model

When a still life/model is involved, I usually:

1. Choose the subject matter, which includes shopping for it.
2. Decide on size, scale, and media.
3. Arrange the subject matter.
4. Organize the easel/palette/model set-up.
5. Prepare hanging hardware suitable to the media (and attach it).
6. Paint the subject matter, in layers: under-painting, mid-painting, final painting—and all stages in between and after.
7. Glaze the painting to complete it.
8. Paint around the painting's edges in acrylic, by color-matching from the oil painting, itself.

The whole production process is usually a six - eight week process, from start to finish for 24in x 24in whimsical works. Larger pieces take me significantly longer to produce.

When I'm working on series, I often have three pieces on the go at once—each at a different stage.

• Rejection Protection

Rejection is hard. Not knowing why you’ve been rejected is harder, especially when explanations could be more educational than painful. They would help make you more aware for next time, or learn that you weren’t a fit anyway—might have had a close escape.

Those who send back insincere form letters, more often than not, don’t review entries (and images) properly if at all.

In most situations, there’s no way of knowing your competition. But, is your competition better? Perhaps they just have superior marketing techniques, friends in "high places," or luck and timing? Unfortunately, there are many better ideas, products, and people out there than the ones that actually end up getting recognized!

People who don’t know rejection are extremely fortunate. People who are familiar with multiple rejections are more fortunate. The greater number of rejections you’ve had, the lower your expectations. Disappointments are a natural part of life and make you try all the harder. The less rejections you’ve had, the more shocked and personally hurt you are by them. A first minor rejection can trigger a major crisis.

Rejections toughen you up. Nevertheless, there is a point when even the tough have had enough. Those around us applaud success, but aren’t always aware of the effort (and failures) it might have taken to get there—or be stuck not getting there. If you’ve had a bumpy ride you’re usually more appreciative of making it. Success is not just about the end destination, it’s about the journey too. The process of not giving up makes being accepted (finally) all the sweeter.

People who reject frequently can be oblivious to the impact of a poorly delivered rejection. They can’t imagine the repercussions sometimes sparked. The rejected are generally good at putting on a brave face and not revealing their disappointment. Cudos, however, to those who do speak up—ask for clarification and express their surprise or sadness. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You know who, where, and what to avoid in the future, especially if circumstances change and you become a decision-maker.

Energy is precious and time passes quickly. That’s why it’s important not to brood on what’s been/can’t be. Even if you don’t win (keep on getting rejected), know that you’ve tried as hard as you can. Your conscience is clear! Your rejection isn’t just about you—the other side might have made a mistake. Over time, you might step back and see the whole picture—have your ideas evolve. You’re more able to recognize why things happened the way they did, even if the end results aren’t ideal.

No one gets all they want all of the time. Some don’t get any of what they want any of the time. If you keep comparison-making or constantly feel entitled to rewards and recognition, you’re going to have a lot harder time living with rejection.

"Rejection Protection" for in the meantime, or indefinitely:

1. Pursue other avenues—stop going where (and to whom) you’re not welcome. Identify your comfort zones/people, and test those first.
2 Take a break: stop reaching out till the dust settles. Appreciate what can be, even if it’s not what you really want, and hope for the best.
3. Believe in, like, and improve yourself and what you're creating . Perhaps, those who rejected you will change their minds.
4. Engage in positive activities and relationships, where you don’t have to pass or fail—are acceptable just the way you are. Capitalize on the possible, not the impossible!
5. Join peer groups for those experiencing similar circumstances. You’ll find you’re not alone!
6. Discuss, research, and network, and share what you’re thinking, feeling, or wishing. Fresh ideas and helpful feedback will pop up along the way.

• Supports

Recommended:
1. Those who have pure intentions—don’t need to manipulate and use circumstances for their own gain. They include:
2. Individuals who believe in you, see your industry, and have faith in what you’re trying to accomplish—like (some) family and friends.
3. Peers that are in similar circumstances, but not part of any formal group—those who’ve been there, or are there, too.

Questionable:
1. Those who might have their own agendas and protocols, and the artist’s (best) interests might be different than theirs. They include:
2. Professional and peer associations (that charge a fee).
3. Government agencies and representatives that administer grants or are supported by special funding.
4. "Helpers" (that you pay), like certain, mentors, coaches, teachers, publicists, and dealers.

 

 

©Susan R. Makin, 2009