Saturday, January 2, 2010

ya say ya wanna resolution...


Water Ribbon   2009    digital print/photographic image   6" x 36"


Okay, okay...I know the title is a bit of a reach. But it being the new year and all, I thought I'd do a little post on resolutions. Specifically, resolutions relative to my art practice. I'm not particularly good at keeping these promises to myself, but I figure it's got to be worth putting them out there at least. Let's call them goals. In no particular order:

  • be kinder to my brushes
  • listen to my own voice
  • spend more time looking, just looking
  • trust the process
  • get better at knowing when to put the brush down and say it's done
  • take more chances
  • let the damned paint dry
  • keep my studio a little neater
  • be unafraid
And now friends, fellow artists and bloggers, I invite you to share your art-practice resolutions/goals or comment on mine here...
 



18 comments:

Debra Ramsay said...

Best wishes to you and your resolutions Pam (and as well to your readers).

I'm thinking about:
collaboration
working in diverse media
ephemeral art

Nancy Natale said...

Hi Pam - a great idea and best wishes for keeping your resolutions - kind of a long list you've made yourself, I think. But I do like your ideas and need to do most of them myself.

Here's my list:

Go to the studio and make it a priority
Make at least one artist's book
Look at more work by other people - in person
Blog more often
Stretch my palette
Just do it - whoops - that slogan didn't do Tiger much good

Glenn said...

Thanks for sharing these, Pam. I’m particularly fond of number three… spend more time looking, just looking.

That’s always a challenge for me as I feel that if I’m not “doing” I’m somehow not producing or engaged artistically. However, these last few months away from working on my art has allowed me to think differently.

As the new year has arrived and my own sabbatical (if you will) is over and up for review, I have decided to gently immerse myself back into the physical artistic process with the new 2010 goal of spending more time writing about my art… a textual sketch book if you will…. this means more blogging!

Happy 2010 and may it be full of wonderful new discoveries for you!

Diane McGregor said...

Hi Pam, so far I have one resolution: to not buy any books in 2010. I am a book addict and my bookshelves are crammed with great art books that I haven't read yet, so my resolution is whenever I have the urge to buy a new book this year, to pick up one I haven't read yet.... However, after seeing your list, I definitely have to be kinder to my brushes, too.
Good luck, and Happy New Year!

Tremain Smith said...

To be still, listen and move slowly.

Blessings on you Pam, my fellow Virgo in 2010.

Cora Glasser said...

Hi, Pam. Good luck with your goals. They are all somewhat inter-related. I'm betting on your success!
Water Ribbon looks lovely.

As for me, first and foremost is always the studio. Also coming to mind:

-Continue to expand concepts
-Getting it out there
-Reading and writing
-Artist book
-Quality of contacts

You are helping with this last one! Now, to stop eating cookies...

Pamela Farrell said...

Hey Y'all...thanks for contributing to this post!

Welcome back from your sabbatical, Glenn. I was thinking about you when I wrote this, wondering where you would land. Looking forward to reading about your re-immersion.

It's heartening to read all of your goals, and I wish all of you well on the journey. I can see that some soul and a sense of humor goes a long way here...

Books, cookies, dirty brushes...I guess we could have worse vices, right?

I'm glad to know all of you and be part of the trip...

Lou Storey said...

Thanks for the list of your resolutions—it has me thinking about my own goals—2010 is disturbing to me in that it sounds to me like counting backwards by tens. Maybe I will take a clue from that and spend some time reflecting on the evolution of my work—and ease up on the forward march “getting it done” attitude. And I especially love the notion of being kinder to my brushes—Hope all is good for you.

lisa said...

Ok
my turn

I like to call it "agenda" (hate resolutions)

more time actually painting
draw/or write everyday

research -tornadoes,weather,Chinese painting techniques...

throw my garbage out more often,
go see more art, make more studio visits and take many more photographs

work bigger

organize office and keep my receipts!!!

leave the critic in my head outside the studio door while I am working (let in later)

and these were just off the top of my head.......

Randy Carone said...

My resolution for 2010 will be 2880, up from 1440. An ambitious goal.

Pamela Farrell said...

My buddy Randy is really talking RESOLUTION here...his comment refers to the fancy new printer he has which prints at 2880 dpi.

Sharon said...

Get new overhead lights throughout my attic work areas so I can paint late into the night!

layers said...

you hit mine on the nose:
be braver
less afraid
trust myself
go for broke

Binnie said...

Happy New Year Pam!

My resolution for studio is to get in there more...even to 'just' look. sketch more...in words and images...slow down in general...finish what I start...

Pamela Farrell said...

I wish you all well with your goals, agendas, and resolutions for artmaking in the year ahead.

Some of you have contributed ideas that have not occurred to me:

Sharon installing bigger lights to extend work time;

Lisa wanting to commit to more research (and saving receipts!)

Looks like most of us are aiming to be more reflective, and to spend more time looking.

I will be looking forward to seeing what comes of it all......

Anonymous said...

Pam I like your list. This "be kinder to my brushes" amused me - does that mean I should not forget that mine have been sitting in a bucket of water for days on end?
One of my key things this year is to be consistent about producing a body of work that sits together as a whole.

joannemattera@comcast.net said...

I resolve to drop out of warp speed. But first I have to redesign my blog, make more studio visits, and get an electric stove for my studio (enough with the hotplates).

Anonymous said...

Create studio space
Engage space
.
.
.
Take active pride in myriad achievements of last sixteen years; it was not all artmaking, but came pretty damn close. Might be fodder for new series?

Leni Morante
www.boxwoodbeadle@blogspot.com