Picasso & Weiner: Evolution of Expression

                 Picasso and Weiner: An Evolution of Expression

Picasso - Self Portrait (1907)

     Pablo Picasso was an artist who inspired me throughout my entire life. As a child, I was a realistic artist. I sketched what I saw and knew. I loved it--drawing recognizable shapes and people or objects. With that ability came contentment and what I now know was the beginning of self-realization and the development of my art vision. As the years passed and I kept drawing, contentment and purpose grew. This was who I was; it was personal and unique. I was...and I was becoming. In drawing, I lost myself in thought and vision--sometimes looking outward, but always seeing within, juxtaposing ideas and drawing my own conclusions and ideas from them.

     My first visit to an art museum was when I visited the Louvre in Paris during my Junior Year abroad in college. What revelations... What inspiration! Even though I did not know the art or artists, I had heard of a few of them, but had never seen their works 'in person.' I remember seeing my first Picasso--a cubist work I have since forgotten. What struck me, though, was the fact that it was not representational or 'realistic.' [To those horrified by the fact that I did not study art and had not been to art museums before my 20's, I would like to share a perspective you might not have considered: mainly, that some of us (artists) are from small towns...and from families who have a less-than-indulgent view of the value of art--especially 'art' created by someone they know or a member of their family. Often, one's family and social circle believes art is a frivolous, bizarre, wasteful, and/or threatening or revolutionary activity. Such was pretty much the case in my family/circle. Art was an oddity they could not comprehend. Sports or academics, they could understand/appreciate; but art, not so much.] Seeing Picasso's works in museums convinced me that art had real value--to society in general, even if not to individual members of it. I felt heartened and hopeful, and became more courageous in my pursuit of art. I humbly knew my works might never be in a museum, but I was part of the creative movement, and therefore had a small role in a global and timeless production. That realization became the foundation of my personal goal to never let art hold less of a place or role in my life. It would ever be my center.

Weiner - Self Portrait 13 (2007)

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ”
-Pablo Picasso 

       My next memory of seeing Picasso's work was a few years later, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There, I saw some of Picasso's bronze sculptures. One, in particular, was a sculpture of a child, maybe a shepherd boy. In any event, I can still see it and the beauty and sensitivity of his vision and art.

Picasso (Sculpture, Chicago)

     That got me thinking about the evolution of one's art and vision. He started out realistic. My art journey began founded in realism. Picasso moved on to many different mediums and modes of expression. He explored cubism and beyond, through expressionism to what I perceive as a surrealism. Seeing his phases of creativity first-hand was a turning point for me...at least in my thinking. I would have to say that it turned the key in the lock that would open many creative doors for me in the future.

Picasso - "Blue Nude"

     So, I figured that I had many miles (years) to go and a lot of thinking to do and art to create before I had enough skills and artistic depth or 'vocabulary' to create unique work that was mine and mine alone--distinctive from others because it grew out of all that I had lived, seen, thought, felt, and believed. The journey had begun...

     Art-wise, I really found my way in college, where I minored in art--sculpture, to be exact. I took every workshop I could, exploring many media--from clay to carving to plaster to polyester resin ribbon or molded sculptures. I welded sculptures from treasures discovered in a local junkyard--an exhilarating project and probably my wildest creation to date. I wanted hands-on, to create. I didn't want to (at that time) read about what others had created. I wanted to do it myself, unhindered by what I then believed would inhibit my own tentative steps toward creation. Remember: humble roots. I was fearful that I had nothing new to add to the art world..., nothing to say that was worth sharing. I guess you could say that I 'found my voice' through my art. After a couple of years, I realized I had something to say and that I had to create for creation sake.

     The college years and 'art room' were golden years of art and discovery and joy.  Alas, few of those early sculptures remain.... Let's just say that (as I noted previously) family and friends do not always 'appreciate' or value art for art's sake. Often, they have no idea how much time, work, heart, and thought goes into each creation. And if they don't like it or understand it, they often disdain or discount it. So, although most of those pieces are lost to time -- and to landfills in PA, no doubt...(smile), the creation process and evolution in thinking became permanently hardwired inside of me. There was no turning back. I reveled in the artistic freedom or 'artistic license' to grow and change as a person and artist. From this realization came the idea for my art business name: Creative License. My art and my business are about creativity and authenticity and originality in all pursuits--art, writing, etc. I chose it out of conviction and a life-long dedication to art and the richness it gives to life.

     In the 1980's, I painted in oils, moving gradually into watercolor and watermedia (~1993-2008)--after which, I moved into watermedia (incorporating acrylics) and mixed media. Most recently (2011-present), I paint on paper, wood, or canvas using acrylics, latex, plaster, and incorporating found objects. My sculptural roots are becoming increasingly more evident as I try to involve more senses (tactile) into the creative process.

Weiner - "Eye of the Storm" (2008)

  

In closing, I would like to tell you about an illuminating, inspirational, and entertaining dream I had back in college (~1975)...

           In the dream, I was painting and working in a studio with a small, bald-headed man--a man who in the dream was a crotchety screamer. I remember trying to overlook his 'moods' and nastiness and keep helping him and doing my work. [Note: I never painted until the 1980's. Through my childhood and college, it was sketching and 3-dimensional works only.]  

          As the dream ended, all that seemed to be missing were the movie credits and theme music. The last scene of the dream was a camera lens panning in slow-motion over a completed painting. The dream scene ended with a still shot of the painting's lower right-hand side -- a signature block (before fading to black):    

"Picasso

   and

 Weiner"

     I had woken up laughing from that dream, and later in the day, I smilingly related it to my sculpture professor, Richard Blake. When I finished the dream-telling, he regarded me intensely for about a minute in silence. He then commented, seriously, gently shaking his head as if somewhat stunned: "You know, he was like that, Elaine. He was a grouchy man, often miserable to his students...." And then, walking off to see another student, he turned back and added: "You really need to BE an artist full time. Declare yourself."  

     Well, Richard. I have and I am: I am an artist. It is my life, my vocation, and my joy.

                                                                                  - Artfully submitted,
                                                                                          Elaine Weiner

Weiner - "Ties That Bind" (2012)

Thanks to all who have inspired and encouraged my art...

Copyright (c) 2013. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this article may be copied, reprinted, or extracted without the express written permission of the artist in advance of publication or quotes. All words and original artistic works are sole property of the artist, Elaine Weiner.

                              [Picasso's works are his and his legacy to the rest of the world.]

Vincent Van Gogh Changed My Life and My Art

Creative License: In the studio with Elaine Weiner

Welcome to "The Muse's Corner..."                                             (9 November 2012)

    As artists, most of us are thinkers--as well as doers. I love to write and have been involved in creative writing and poetry since my youth. As an adult, I have continued to write creatively..., but often I do not have the time or energy to put pen to paper--or in this case: fingers to keyboard.  My art takes all of my time beyond the necessary activities of my life and job. Consequently, although my mind continues to work overtime, I seldom record my thoughts...letting them merely fly through my consciousness and be gone.  Some thoughts (prophetic or otherwise) are scribbled in my many sketchbooks, but most could not be deciphered--much less formed into meaningful prose. I would like to change that with this blog--using it as a way to document my thinking as I move forward in my artistic evolution.

     I hope you enjoy reading this and future posts. My goal is to post at least once a month. Although I cannot promise great poetry or prophetic writings, I do promise to be authentic. My intent is for these posts to be "non-denominational" and global. This blog is about ideas and art and artistic--creative--expression. Posts will focus on art, life, thoughts, ideas, feelings, and the search for understanding and fulfillment. I invite you to read and comment. I hope you are sometimes touched and always challenged in a good way.

  To start, here is a question for you:  

          Who or what inspires your creation and/or creative energy? Do you have a muse?

  I recently gave this a lot of thought, and my answer to the above question follows.

Vincent Van Gogh Changed My Life and My Art

Vincent Van Gogh changed my life when he almost got me kicked out of D.C. museum. I admit it was really my fault… It was love-at-first-sight.  

Here is what happened:

My first ‘encounter’ face-to-face with Vincent Van Gogh was in the Smithsonian in the early 1980’s. I was literally star-struck and mesmerized…drawn in (literally).  As I tried to get as close as I could to Vincent’s “Starry Night” painting, hoping to connect to the man himself and to absorb his vibes and inspiration, a museum guard’s massive hand clamped down on my shoulder and his gruff and agitated voice told me I would have to exit the building at once. Wide-eyed, I slowly turned to look at him and my awestruck face and voice must have conveyed that I meant no harm. What a master with color and brushstrokes…     

              Needless to say, I was followed from room to room by museum guards after that!

The next meaningful encounter was one summer in the late 1980’s when I spent 6 weeks in a French Impressionist Art class during which I wrote a research paper on “The Psychocritique of Van Gogh’s Self Portraits.” That summer and all the research and time I spent ‘with Van Gogh,’ intensified and solidified my relationship.  By the end of that summer, I had written several poems about Van Gogh, as well as the paper. During those weeks, I closely studied over 20 of his self-portraits, pairing that scrutiny with much research into the man and his French writings. The most revealing source of the man-artist himself was the book of his many letters to his brother, Theo. Beautiful, intimate letters of feelings, observations, life experiences, relationships, and deep thoughts—a treasure trove of insights.  I still have that book and cherish it.

From my art roots in 2 dimensions (pencil/pen drawings) to sculpture and 3-dimensional works in college, my art journey continued its evolution through the 80’s, 90’s, leading me from oil painting and realism (1980’s) to watercolor and expressionism (1990’s). For some 15 years, color and shape were my focus (1993-2008).  All the while, I sought to capture and convey more ideas and feeling in my work, just as Vincent had done. Watercolor enabled me to put more of myself into my work thanks to the gestural freedom and spontaneity it allows. For the last several years, I have been spending weeks or months on a single work, creating non-objective paintings using acrylics and mixed media on canvas or paper—a seemingly natural convergence of my 2- and 3-D roots.

All of these experiences have contributed to breakthroughs in my art and influenced my content and approach. In recent years, I have worked on several series exploring thoughts, feelings, and dreams…with a special focus on the subconscious and the unconscious. I often have insomnia, so am trying to leverage those long nights and capture the many thoughts, images, words, and feelings that mesh into one…visions sometimes swirling just out of reach.  A sketchbook sits on my bed-side table, and many nights I capture dream thoughts or fragments of the stream of disjointed musings that populate my semi-consciousness so that I can later try to put them into my writings or paintings. 

To try and convey some of this complex weaving or layering of thoughts and images, my latest paintings frequently incorporate texture, found objects, or words. Each work has an underlying idea or story, and the intent is solid in my mind as I begin painting. Much thought takes place before and during the creative process.  I owe it to myself to be thoughtful in my creation…and I feel I owe that much to those who view my art, also. Even as I sometimes let the creative wave take me from thought to intuition and feeling, I have the choice of when to consciously step in and control an outcome.  All of me is involved in the creative process—mind, body, and spirit; both the conscious and the unconscious. This 20-year comprehensive body of work is my self portrait – a work in progress as I am. It is also a small tribute to Vincent Van Gogh.

    Other painters and other works inspire me..., but Van Gogh will always be my first love. He continues to inspire and touch my work.

Yours in art,
  Elaine

Honoring the Journey

In the artist’s own words:

Art is as important to me as breathing. As with life, painting is an adventure – an exploration that comes with challenges, discovery, and wonder. Creating art (painting, sculpting) is about making something that does not already exist.  Every painting is a new beginning, a new start…like the dawn. Each painting draws on personal experiences and feelings, emerging from ideas and a love of color and form. 

It is about the internal and external, eternal and ephemeral connections that support or shape us. I find joy in the physicality of painting, and I stand, sit, stretch across, and walk on and around my works in a type of improvisational dance unique to each painting. They are a part of me. As a result, my works resonate with life, movement, and music…  

If put to music, how would my paintings sound to you?                                              

Working without a net...

   Every day and every painting is one decision followed by another decision and another....  Each painting begins with the determination to be true to my own style and vision.  It is about creating something that does not already exist.  Each work is a unique adventure, an exploration—with all the challenges and wonder that entails. Like me, my art is a work in progress. It is my passion, and my intent is to be authentic and therefore true to myself and that passion.
                                                  

                                                                                   "Legende Personnelle" 

                                                                                    Mixed Media on Canvas