To Contemplate is to Toil

“One is not idle because one is absorbed. There is both visible and invisible labor. To contemplate is to toil, to think is to do. The crossed arms work, the clasped hands act. The eyes upturned to Heaven are an act of creation.” - Victor Hugo

What lies behind my art? I like to think about it so here are some fresh thoughts... forgive me if they're not as straightforward as you'd like.

I am conceptual, yes. For me this is not just the portraying of one idea. I love a concept that can be expressed definitively but not by negating all the thought processes put into finding that one idea. As I seek to find the focal point of a realistic painting, essentially looking for the one concept that underlies what I'm creating, I come through a complex and not quite linear painting process. What I'm enjoying about painting is that all of these thoughts are put together on the canvas with the final idea coming out with the most clarity. Well... sometimes.

I seek to show forth my mistakes and side roads in the final piece and not hide them from sight in thumbnails and sketches (although these are also a part of my process). I think this is why I've stopped transferring my final drawing directly onto the final painting surface. This is too controlled and unlike real life... instead I paint freely from the original sketches and photographs (and life, if possible). Although I look for refinement in my image and keeping elements in the same place throughout, there are many unexpected things that happen when painting like this. The freedom excites me!

Also, I really enjoy comparing and contrasting completely different ideas within one piece. Many times this makes a simple orange have a lot more meaning than just its appearance. What happens when you put it under a bright light, or a blue light, or candlelight? Different light situations affect how I'm viewing this orange. But not just with my physical faculty of sight. Different lighting situations bring out different thoughts and emotions as I paint. A brightly lit flower can cause joy and lightheartedness to be evident in my paintings. A somber candle in moody darkness can bring out depressive and sorrowful thoughts. Yes, I can control this to some extent by the ways I know I react to certain situations but the exciting part of painting from life is bringing about the unexpected. Life is unexpected. The longer you look at something you think is concrete the more it changes and can surprise you.

This may not jive in an environment that looks for strong concept and simple statement for impact on it's audience. But what about an environment that looks for the complex, thriving in mystery? Enjoying the seeking out of answers more than actually finding them, and much less than being shown them explicitly.

I'm not yet sure where this type of art fits commercially. It is more contemplative than direct. But that's an extension of who I am.

IMAGE CREDIT: Orange Photographs ©2010 Bethany Vanderputten.

The Value of Creative - Part Two

Why do I paint? Is it to work in something I love, to sell a product, to make some cash, or to gain noteriety? Though these things sound amazing they're really not at my heart. I create to effect positive change and meet people's needs.

This comes down to a heart issue. What do people really need? Food, water, shelter - yes. But beyond that don't we all struggle with fear, heartache, loneliness, pain, and other emotional needs? And then there's the largely ignored spiritual need. That's where great creative can come in and transform hearts and minds. This is a bit of a rationale for my artistic career. It doesn't mean I'll stop giving to World Vision or reaching out practically to meet felt needs. I just hope that my art can meet someone in their hidden distress. These unrecognized needs are important and great art can meet them in a way that practical giving cannot.

I wonder if a lot of artists, especially illustrators, see their value being solely their talent for drawing and painting. This is central, yes, but it is not enough. How many clients can attest to enjoying a person's art but not the person? What about everything else that makes up a successful artistic career - good communication, integrity with finances, ability to work well with others, positive attitudes and more? Are these an integral part of my creativity? If they do not go hand in hand my talent will suffer... and ultimately, the hearts of those I seek to affect. Have you ever heard the phrase "she goes above and beyond"? What I hope to do in my creative career is not just create great art that effects positive change in society, but also meets needs in a felt way. This cannot be done halfheartedly but only with a spirit of lavish generosity!

I was sent a particularly moving forward in my e-mail recently about Hitler as a 'failed artist'. It showed much of his own art and spoke of his attempts to get into an art school in Vienna. Personally I think he could be viewed more, to use strong terminology, as a 'perverted artist'. His love for the arts was evident in his early years but when rejected and not developed in an art school or opera these talents were eventually misapplied. This misapplication resulted in horrendous measures of perverted creativity.

Peter Schjeldahl wrote an article called "Hitler as Artist" in 2002 that speaks of this more eloquently (The Williams show referred to featured Hitler's art at the Williams College Museum of Art, in Williamstown, Massachusetts in 2002):

"The Williams show rebuts the comfortable sentiment that Hitler was a "failed artist." In fact, once he found his métier, in Munich after the First World War, he was masterly, first as an orator and then as an all-around impresario of political theatre. He was also deluded. He had no vision of the future apart from ever grander opera." Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/08/19/020819craw_artworld#ixzz0gZAF6B5u

As an artist I can choose... will I use my talents to passionately affect this world for good and with beauty? Or, will I let these talents be perverted and used in a way that ignores the needs of the people around me, or chooses to meet them in a malevolent way? Creativity is powerful. I have stated before that great creative brings revolution. Now the choice is what kind.

The Value of Creative

How do you view art?

Is it something peripheral to your life, or is it integral? I propose that we cannot do without art and creativity. It has a value that crosses cultures, races, and wide oceans and passes down through the sands of time. Art that captured the imagination of Renaissance Italy is still viewed today and has been seen by countless people with an impact that has lasted centuries. The political and social influence of many of these pieces of art changed the societies they were part of, challenging old belief systems, ousting tyrannical rulers, instigating riots, or releasing spiritual peace.

What about the art of today? Whether it be an amazing illustration, a strong identity system, an impactful short film, a catchy song or poem, or many other outlets of creativity, real art... true art, has the ability to astonish it's viewer, bringing new patterns of thought, and bringing about change.

The value of creativity runs deep. It helps us see the world with new eyes. But how can this idea be applied to our everyday? The color of the shirt you chose to wear could just be a regular blue pinstripe, or it could be red and symbolize your participation in the "Go Red for Women" campaign. And what about Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" armbands? The creativity of that idea changed society and soon everyone wore them for many different causes. Without this strong innnovative idea this cause would have gone unnoticed by many.

And what about the application of creative to your profession? Strong creative catches your eye and bring buyers to your product or market. If you choose to do without great creative your customers and your investors suffer. I believe that every person has creativity in them, but some have invested their lives in making it a career. I know that I can add and subtract but in hiring an accountant I'm entrusting my finances to someone who knows numbers much better than I. Choose to put value on what a creative person can do for you today.

Good creative brings change but great creative brings revolution.