Artistic Mastery
Hello friend and welcome back to my studio! Today I’d like to talk a little bit about myself as an artist. Where did i come from, where did i go, where did i come from cotten eyed julia. That kind of thing. So, where to begin? Probably where every personal journey begins. childhood.
Ive loved making things with my hands for as long as i can remember. I have a very art minded family and our household was full of supplies to make anything with. Most of my early memories are centered around some kind of artsy activity. I remember always being in the craft room above the garage with my friends, cutting paper to make cards and books, sewing pillowcases with ruffles and a little blood, digging for clay in the backyard to sculpt and bake in the sun, or wrangling an army of children together to direct and film plays about escaped penguins by the pool. I think one of the most formative moments for me came when the older sister i shared a bedroom with was in a drawing class in school. I was too young to get to choose my own classes, and i was fascinated by her drawing skills. She taught me how to shade a round object, and i was hooked. From then on i spent an hour every sunday doodling shaded hearts and ribbons on the programs in church. I filled sketchbooks at home and in our travels, drawing in every style i could think of.
The second formative moment came for me sometime during my art classes, when i learned how to translate my drawing skills into painting skills. As much as i liked to draw, i loved to paint. Each of my siblings basically niched down in different craft categories, and acrylic painting was my niche in the family. One of the paintings i was most proud of was a picture of a mom tiger licking her baby, but it was painted on glued pennies on a canvas, and up close each penny was actually its own little picture. When i finished that i confided to my same sister that taught me that it was probably the greatest thing i would ever make. She told me not to limit myself like that, that who knew what other wonderful things i could make. I thought she was completely tripping at the time but now i see her young wisdom. I stuck with acrylic paint for most of high school, only trying one oil painting in an art class.
When i got to college though, i had lost my love for acrylic paint. I hated the way it dried before i could finish blending everything, and how flat the colors looked in the end. So when i got the chance, i took an oil painting class, and it was a revelation. I couldnt believe the depth of color, the smooth blends, the overlapping layers, the color detail i could put in. But despite my love for the medium, i was a terrible student. That art class, and every other one, required devoted attendance and that wasnt something i could give at the time. I did all my homework, and i had an understanding teacher, so i was able to learn some things, but i consider myself mostly self taught in oils. For a few years in my college life i hardly painted at all, not able to find the time or space for it. But when the pandemic forced me to stay home, I poured my every waking hour into strengthening my skills and made the best work id made yet. In one painting, I learned what a colorful surface skin is. That it is translucent to the blood underneath it, and reflective of colors around it. It resparked my devotion and i havent had many months without oil painting since.
The next and last change in my artist life came somewhat recently. In January of last year I finished a painting that was, for all intents and purposes, finally enough. I didnt know it until i finished this piece, but i was just practicing for all of those years. I’d sold some work, done some commissions, tried to market myself as an artist. But there was always some kind of block. I wasnt sure if it was depression or something else, but i could never put my whole heart into publicity efforts. That was, until i finished this piece. Looking at it, i saw clearly that i had just been practicing. I was making work because i liked making work, and pushing myself harder each painting, and i finally felt like i could consistently get the exact outcome i was trying to get. This feeling clicked into place, that now i could be fully proud of every work i make. And thats when i decided to start making things that matter. Before i picked what i painted based on what i found aesthetic and interesting. Now, i select my reference image because of what it has to say, and i trust myself to pull it off no matter the image. Im still learning with every piece, but not the way i was before. Now im learning about my own process, and how to get the result in a cleaner, more direct way. Im learning how to fit painting in regularly and how much time it takes me to work through a piece. Now im learning how to talk about why i care about my work.
And now im learning that its not always a happy thing, finishing a painting. With all the joy that comes from seeing it complete, comes also a measure of sadness that this brilliant next work, perfect and impactful, will just join a growing graveyard of my other finished pieces. You see, just being able to paint is not the full story of being an artist. I also have to be able to share my paintings. And thats where my plans come in. Hi, my name is julia, nice to meet you. Im an artist learning how to share my work and tell my stories. After years of dipping around in this field, ive come here, to youtube. I firmly believe this is the best platform to actually connect with anyone who wants to connect. I am committed to making a video a week, every week. I want to focus on telling stories because i think thats the best anyone really has to offer, and i want to share my paintings with you, from the process to the finished piece. Right now my work is centered on the idea of connection to the present moment in time. I am driven by the aesthetic beauty of the world around me, and the endless complexity and peace of appreciating where you actually are, rather than focusing on where you want to be or want not to be. I’ll be releasing a video soon that talks more in depth about this series, but I’ll give you one example.
The painting im working on today is titled “plugging in an extension cord”. I am the subject in the painting. I decided to take the reference image for this when i was plugging in an extension cord by lamplight and i thought about just what this would look like if my husband walked in. Then i set up my phone camera, pressed record, and got back into position. When i looked back at the scene i connected to it. Here i was doing such a mundane, kind of unpleasant task. And look just how wonderful it is. The scattered cords and the macrame and the goofy legs sticking out from under the bed. In this I see beauty, in this moment i felt connected to myself in a way that ive learned is hard to come by. I do meditate, i exercise, and i occasionally do yoga. But the kind of connectedness that comes form loving everything around you and the way it comes together and just embracing it with open eyes and an accepting mind, it makes me feel like a kid again. Seeing all the fathomless wonders of a boring old room.
Im so grateful for you for being any amount of interested in my work. I cannot measure the amount of support i feel from each subscriber and viewer. If you connect with my art and have interest in buying it, i am about to launch my website for that purpose. If you’d like to support my work in a different way I’ve just started a patreon. And if you’re just here for the stories, thank you for being here, ill see you next week with another one. Bye friend!
