Motivation - Page 2

Michele Rushworth · 04-02-2004, 03:02 PM

Glad you liked the Frye. Sorry I wasn't able to join you that day. Aren't those Bouguereau's great!

Geary Wootten · 04-02-2004, 08:52 PM

OH....MY......GOSH!

You guys! My wife and I JUST returned from downtown Seattle where we spent 2 hours at the FRYE museum!!

How cool is this? I think I hear the theme song from The Twilight Zone!

I've only visited the museum like 6 times in the 6 years we've lived here. When we lived in San Francisco we went all the time to the Palace of the Legion of Honor where a Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and William Bouguereau all have little tear stains on the floor in front of them where I stood a few times.

The Sheperdess......wow! I took my glasses off and got to within 2 inches of the brush strokes all over that piece. Holy mackerel.....what a smooth technique that was applied on what looked like the finest linen I've ever seen! Those soft, muted olive undertones, the cool blue middle tones, the perfectly blended dashes of orange hues in exactly the right spots.........just takes your breath away.

Then, like you mentioned Patricia, "In The Woods" (two sisters) in his 70s at the end of his life, with atherosclerosis and diabetes impeding his limbs.....and cataracts in his eyes, barely able to see what he was doing......oh, my. What can you say? Such a genuine lover of the figurative art and the best draftsman at his craft that's ever existed. He's now becoming my newest hero......right beside Rembrandt and Rubens.

Now THIS.....is motivation! Whew......'scuse me.....I have to go paint something.

-Gear

Patricia Joyce · 04-03-2004, 11:47 PM

Ditto to all your remarks. I am home in Cleveland where it is cold and raining and will turn to six inches of snow by morning. But tomorrow I will burrow into my studio, I have three portraits lined up (no, none of them paying, but I am excited about all of them).

So, sleep, sweet dreams of Bouguereau's Sheperdess and those entwined sisters...wake on the morn

INSPIRED, I hope!!!

God Bless,
Pat

Geary Wootten · 04-05-2004, 12:17 AM

Patricia,

I would like to further reply and add a "side car" onto your concern. I'm 52 and even though I'm just now planning to go on my own as a full timer I did have some formal training years and years ago. However I feel what you are saying about the concern of moving out in our "second adulthood"....as I call it.

I very recently suffered a heart attack and I would like to paste a note that was sent to me by an acquaintance who was wishing me well.

<< Was watching a show the other night on CNN about the oldest practising lawyer in the USA who is still practising law at the ripe old age of 107 i beleive.

When he was asked what the biggest factor he attributed to living so long was -- He said it was because he had a massive heart attack at age 53.. This was a wake up call for him he said-- to live and laugh --eat healthy-- exercise every day faithfully-- ,and most important of all he said was manage his stress levels -- not allow stress in his life at all -- He said the best and happiest years of his life have been the years following his heart attack.

Why do i mention this? Because I hope the very same for you. I guess i know the emotional recovery is often tougher than the physical part of recovery-- . Wishing you the best Geary -- hope you have a very speedy recovery Best Wishes >>

Best Regards,
Geary

Kimberly Dow · 04-05-2004, 12:45 AM

I have many motivations, but it simply comes down to one thing really. I cannot NOT paint and be a happy person. My family insists I paint or I am not as nice a mother, wife, friend, etc.

I have never gone long without painting - I knew I would be an artist when I was about 5 I think. But, the few times I have (like after c-sections and such) - I was such an unhappy person and it translated down to the family. What's that saying? If momma ain't happy...nobody is?

I have tried doing other things..I even managed an Italian restaurant on a beach in St Thomas the US Virgin Islands...the money was wonderful, but I only lasted 8 months before I had a melt down. This is the ONLY way to go. I have no idea who said it, but I heard an artist (or read...maybe even here) say to someone asking about making a living at art: "If you can do anything else and be happy, do it. If you cant be happy unless you do this, then you have to." That is my motto - this is it - there are no other choices.

Ngaire Winwood · 04-12-2004, 05:43 PM

My motivation is telling myself this mantra, that I believe I am an accomplished portrait artist already. I of course am only a beginner, but hey my negative mind is pretty strong, so I am fooling it into believing I am already there.

So far it has worked as my passion and dedication has grown immensely. I live and breath as an artist everyday now and am starting to get annoyed when I get disrupted. As a mother, up until now I have not had the luxury to be anything else but my son is a 14 year old now and he doesn't need me as much any more. There is just the two of us. I concentrated to being the best Mum to him till now but because his needs have changed, I have allowed my needs, for the first time to come into the picture. I have started to realise that I am starting to annoy him for the first time as I am becoming more aloof as my artist's mind is developing. Having the spare time to now develop as an artist is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I certainly will be catching up with time lost.

Brenda Ellis · 08-08-2005, 09:00 PM

I just had to revive this thread.

Joyce, I hear ya. I turned 41 last December (that's so much smoother than saying I'll turn 42 this December), and I am making up for lost time, too. The clock is ticking. But that's not a bad thing. Those years I spent not painting weren't wasted. All that experience of life gets brought to painting through me. I find I'm more motivated to do this now than I was motivated to do anything at 20 or 25. I'm finding that my desire to achieve something far outweighs any limits on energy. And I find that motivation is my inspiration, not the other way around. I started painting at noon on Saturday and thought I'd paint for a little bit and then mosey over to the library. It was 9:30 before I looked at the clock and realized I'd been painting all that time. I had missed lunch and dinner and not even cared. Is this the Painter's Diet?

I have half an education in theatre (got a job before I finished school) and no education in art and if education in art is anything like education in theatre, then I still would have had to spend 5 or 10 years unlearning and relearning in the real world everything I thought I'd learned in academia.

I used to live in San Francisco, Geary, and I miss the good art museums. And it is so VERY nice to hear that I am not the only one who gets up inches away from paintings to see what is really going on! I've always done this in galleries and museums, and then I get embarrassed because I'm the only one doing it and I think I must look like some sort of rube. On the other hand, I don't know how anyone could look at a painting and NOTwant to get close to see what's really going on. But I won't worry about that anymore since I know I'm in good company.

Well, this thread is over a year old, and Joyce, you've probably got a whole different view on things now. And I don't even know if Geary is still around here. But what you said, Joyce, resonated with me and I wanted to respond.

Patricia Joyce · 08-09-2005, 10:11 AM

Brenda,
It was nice to see this resurrected and to reread what had been posed by all! I guess my motivation is still TIME more than anything else (well, of course after the veritable LOVE of portraiture) I spent all day yesterday in my studio painting and am paying the price today (my arthritis flaired up so bad when I returned from Vegas that I can hardly move some days) All of my money goes into art education (workshops with Marvin) and the best supplies I can afford, and acupuncture. A top priority is to be as healthy as I can so that I can keep painting. Western medicine has failed me, so now it's over to the East to see if they can help!!

I'll do anything to be able to keep painting . . .

Brenda Ellis · 08-09-2005, 02:25 PM

Patricia,
I hope you do continue.
I just came from the doctor's office. It turns out I have tennis elbow. I don't play tennis, but I use my right arm just about every waking moment some days. So I'll have to wear this cuff on my arm whenever I paint or draw or do art, which is most of the time.
I know this is nothing compared to arthritis, and my good thoughts are with you.
I know it's trite, but I do believe where there's a will, there's a way.

Patricia Joyce · 08-09-2005, 02:30 PM

Thanks Brenda,
I do to. R Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and I tend to believe you can put yourself into remission with correct diet, sleep, exercise and attitude. But when life is hectic which it has been since I have been back, I am always thrown for a loop. One of these times I will figure out how to keep my cool!!