Thursday, November 22, 2007

Couldn't Have Said it Better




"Primary Colors"
Oil on Panel
8x10"
2007





I was reading the new issue of Southwest Art last night and came across a couple of interesting statements by artist Woody Gwyn. They sum up a lot of my feelings about being a representational painter, and put things into words that I sometimes have difficulty explaining.

On subject matter:

I hope I transcend the subject. If your work is a literal transcription and is not done with a certain level of passion, it's just illustration. And the danger in abstract art is, if it's not done with a certain philosophical underpinning and passion, then it's just decoration. - Woody Gwyn

On choosing a life in art:

No one made me do this. I love being an artist and wouldn't do anything else. But it's strenuous. We artists don't just shake things out of our sleeves. It demands mental concentration, and at the end of a hard day painting, you are drained. The positive thing about being an artist is that every once in a while you make a breakthrough, and you really see the possibilty of new horizons in your work. Anything worthwhile is usually hard work, and you have got to want, want, want it.- Woody Gwyn

Now I'm off to the mountains for a few days. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Stacey! Glad to see your show went so well! I am TAGGING you to post some things about yourself on your blog and tag some other bloggers. Come to my site to see what it is about and why you were tagged. Reason? I happen to think a lot of you and what you are doing!

    Best to you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just stumbled onto your blog following other peoples links from other blogs. I'm rarely this impressed when I just stumble onto another artist online, so I just wanted to say congratulations on your first solo show and I'll look forward to keeping an eye on your blog. Keep Painting! Your work is really strong.

    ReplyDelete