Ok.
I will start with a small apology about the lengthy silence. Life is short and busy and it turns out to be quite difficult to keep up with a blog as well as all the other social media links plus hold down a day job, be a good horse mother and find time to paint. Something has to give.
However, it appears I found my voice again after a full blown rant recently and I feel the need to reach out to whoever reads this to see if I am not alone with my thinking, so here goes:
I sometimes use reference photos for my work, sometimes more than one for one painting. It might be to give me some reference for the shape and form of the horse other times I might use something for the background, the sky and so on. I mostly use my own photos. If they are not mine, I always ensure I have full permission from the creative owner - I am well aware and mindful of copyright laws. That's not the issue here. My issue is, people comparing my work to the reference photos.
Artistically, I am not a realist. I have a lot of respect for realism art, it's a skill. A finely honed, well practised skill. I am more expressionist (if I must be labelled). My work represents how I see the world and how I feel about it, so the chances are, it will not be an exact replica of any reference material I use. So far so good, here comes the issue; by seeing my references, any viewer will most likely compare what they are seeing and judge my work accordingly. This may go for or against me, but that's not the point. The point is..... I DON'T WANT TO BE COMPARED.
Too shouty? I actually surprised myself with how strongly I feel about this.
It's quite straightforward: If you like my art, well that's wonderful. If I can create something that gives someone joy, well that's a good thing. You might not think what I create is that special and that's fine too, after all, everyone can't like everything. The main thing is that I create what I create. I want people to make up their own minds, think independently and decide for themselves whether or not they like it and if they like it so much they want to spend their hard earned cash on owning it, well, that's just wonderful!
Whatever happened to imagination? Whatever happened to free thinking?
What bothers me, is as a society, we are becoming more and more lazy. We want all the thinking done for us, we wait to be told by an "influencer" what is good or bad. We follow whatever is currently "in" like a flock of sheep and want everything delivered to us with no mental, physical or emotional effort. If we carry on like this, we will eventually kill creativity, individualism and the ability to develop ideas into beautiful things.
Yes, I know that this is generalization, but it genuinely concerns me, that free speech, free thought and creativity are slowly being strangled into a mass conformity. Or perhaps it's always been that way......
Decide for yourself if you like my art (or any one else's for that matter). It's okay, you don't have to tell anyone if you do like it, but it would be great if you did!
You can find and follow me on Facebook and Instagram @hrequineart
Heather
www.redbubble.com/people/hrequineart
I will start with a small apology about the lengthy silence. Life is short and busy and it turns out to be quite difficult to keep up with a blog as well as all the other social media links plus hold down a day job, be a good horse mother and find time to paint. Something has to give.
However, it appears I found my voice again after a full blown rant recently and I feel the need to reach out to whoever reads this to see if I am not alone with my thinking, so here goes:
I sometimes use reference photos for my work, sometimes more than one for one painting. It might be to give me some reference for the shape and form of the horse other times I might use something for the background, the sky and so on. I mostly use my own photos. If they are not mine, I always ensure I have full permission from the creative owner - I am well aware and mindful of copyright laws. That's not the issue here. My issue is, people comparing my work to the reference photos.
 |
| Horse painted from my own reference photo of my own lovely Hannahbelle, however, she was nowhere near water, that would never happen. Sea, moon and sky are from my imagination and her worst nightmares! |
Artistically, I am not a realist. I have a lot of respect for realism art, it's a skill. A finely honed, well practised skill. I am more expressionist (if I must be labelled). My work represents how I see the world and how I feel about it, so the chances are, it will not be an exact replica of any reference material I use. So far so good, here comes the issue; by seeing my references, any viewer will most likely compare what they are seeing and judge my work accordingly. This may go for or against me, but that's not the point. The point is..... I DON'T WANT TO BE COMPARED.
 |
| My other lovely mare, from my own photo collection. Sunrise came from a library photo, I have added clouds, a shoreline and some vegetation because I can. |
Too shouty? I actually surprised myself with how strongly I feel about this.
It's quite straightforward: If you like my art, well that's wonderful. If I can create something that gives someone joy, well that's a good thing. You might not think what I create is that special and that's fine too, after all, everyone can't like everything. The main thing is that I create what I create. I want people to make up their own minds, think independently and decide for themselves whether or not they like it and if they like it so much they want to spend their hard earned cash on owning it, well, that's just wonderful!
 |
| This mare looks far better with he muddy field backdrop swapped for a dusty desert, trust me |
Whatever happened to imagination? Whatever happened to free thinking?
What bothers me, is as a society, we are becoming more and more lazy. We want all the thinking done for us, we wait to be told by an "influencer" what is good or bad. We follow whatever is currently "in" like a flock of sheep and want everything delivered to us with no mental, physical or emotional effort. If we carry on like this, we will eventually kill creativity, individualism and the ability to develop ideas into beautiful things.
Yes, I know that this is generalization, but it genuinely concerns me, that free speech, free thought and creativity are slowly being strangled into a mass conformity. Or perhaps it's always been that way......
Decide for yourself if you like my art (or any one else's for that matter). It's okay, you don't have to tell anyone if you do like it, but it would be great if you did!
You can find and follow me on Facebook and Instagram @hrequineart
Heather
www.redbubble.com/people/hrequineart
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