Having Justified the subject, the theme, the idea of the new art; the second step is to bring oneness to the art.
Art is just form and content. Form is defined as using elements, principles and physical materials. Content is defined as the work's essence or purpose. They should convey an orderly and organized oneness.
Hence-
Organizing the elements of art, obedience to the principles of design, and the offerings of the materials available is the next step.
Visual unity is one of the most important aspects of well-developed art and is planned by the artist.
Unity provides the cohesive quality that makes an artwork feel complete and finished.
When all the elements in a work look as though they belong together, the artist has achieved unity.
A unified work of art represents first a whole, and then the sum of its parts.
etc.
The idea or the theme is the match, the ignition. But the initial spark only lasts so long. Now the fire must be built and that takes a variety of combustibles- tinder, kindling, and a good fuel source. The materials for a fire can also relate to the supplies of an artist. Consider dry grass, shavings, dry waxy pine needles, sawdust, cardboard, birch bark, twigs, peat, even dung; and then soft woods and hard woods. Does not this read as an art supply store?
How the fire is built would be the various techniques the artist uses to portray the purpose and bring unity to the art project.
So clear away an appropriate surface. Loosely lay the kindling on the tinder. Have the wood at the ready. Will the fire be a tepee, a star shape, a log cabin, a pyramid or a lean to? It is all up to the fire maker!
But what about the maker, the artist! Have talents, techniques, tools, and yes, the tests and trials, come together in such a way so as to be poured out into the body of the artist's whole work. Is there a oneness, a unity that defines the artist and the artist's intent? Is the passion, the purpose, even the playfulness that unites the artist with the art work out on display? Can the one who orders/organizes the sum of the art, be glimpsed in the whole?
I ask myself these questions because I want to be a real fire maker.
I believe artists need to catch the concept, the spark if you will; that what brings oneness to the art is the fire, the flame, that lies within the artist. It is the one flame that needs to flame brighter than any other.
While I think it helps to understand who one is as an artist it is also a journey of discovery. And perhaps it is fair to admit that those early works of art, one way or another, are perhaps only fodder for the fire being built now! :O We do get to be better fire makers. :)
I have only just begun to be comfortable with the term artist. I make art but it is mostly technique studies and I am often only following the step by step procedures of other artists. There may be unity but there isn't much of me. This is NOT lighting my fire. In fact, the underlying theme is probably fear of the fire. So how to fan the smoldering art cloth and learn to juggle fire sticks!
I have had opportunity to edit out some of my old photos recently and I found it enlightening to see a mish mash of art that makes me cringe and yet some that brought smiles and happy memories. Joy? I think it is time to make a better wood pile.
My first exploration of the creative arts, aside from just plain colouring, was home decorating. I started with my adolescent bedroom and I matured and I learned. Over time I have come to realize that if I just acquire what I like I invariably pick stuff that goes together. Now there have been a few "what could I have been thinking" but as a whole we do tend to gravitate to what we like. It is just a matter of editing out the the "What was I...'s"!
And of course, applying the design principles. Joy!
The next thing I learned was that what goes together in the sixties fire pit doesn't seem to smoke as well in the nineties not to mention the 'now'! Ha! We need a new groove! lol Some of that wood gets kinda punky so it might be time to add some newer varieties of wood to the old woodlot. It just might take a cleansing fire through the mind.
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I do believe-
There is a natural stack of wood supplies available to the artist to
make natural
art. But there is a spirit of an artist that also needs fuel for
creativity. It is
just as important, maybe more so, to have a nice dry stack of creative,
spiritual 'wood' available and within
easy reach of the artist who sparks within. Artist dates, taking the
time to visit different creative venues or just strolls through the park
can feed that spark. And that is what will bring joy.
How is your wood pile?
This is the second guest post for
...And Then We Set It On Fire... . I hope you have had a chance to visit some of the contributors.
