Why I Paint.

Group Crit. And Oil Paint Workshop: These helped me kind of understand why I paint!
 

Last week I had my group crit with a few other fellow students and it went ok. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it and to start off the day I stupidly sat at my desk in my space. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Well, it meant I had to go first, in hindsight it was good to get it out of the way, it meant I only had to listen to other people for the rest of the day and occasionally ask a question.

During my session, in between being asked questions I didn’t understand and trying to avoid answering them, I was given several ideas about where I could take my work and other ways to present it. There were suggestions from sculpture all the way to a large scale projection. There was even the mention of glitter from the tutor! Now, I will warn you, I am not to be held responsible if anything happens with this medium. I’ve been looking to buy some, I get so excited just thinking about using it, but I need to wait until my money situation is a bit better.

The tutor kept pushing the idea of screen printing and some sort of digitally created symbol based on my work. Sigh. As soon as she mentioned them, I knew that that’s not what I want to do with my work, I just couldn’t put my finger on the reason why...

Still being obsessed with the thoughts of glitter the next day came about and I found myself in an oil painting workshop. Admittedly, that would never have happened if Michael hadn’t have come and got me, because I had completely forgot about it. I found listening to Michael talk about the way he works really interesting. The way he talks about everything makes it sound better than it really is. He also has a habit of wandering off to random stories and you can't help but laugh.We ended up going through why he wears a hat, violet flowers in woods, bees and red trousers... I know, right? I can't really remember why to some of it, but it possibly made sense at the time. The stages he goes through and little tips he had were good, I just wish I could see some more of his work and what his studio is like. He's a very difficult man to find anything about on the internet! There are a couple of videos of him by students but that's about it... Hmmm, I may have to bug him to see some work somehow.

Anyway, watching Michaels process and listening to him talk about other painters, made me realise why I paint and I don't really attempt much else. It is because I like the hands on-ness about it. Adding splodges of paint, layers and layers, colours, shapes... The process from an idea to a finished piece, makes it all so enjoyable. That is why.

I hope all this makes sense, I haven't read throught it haha!