Sunday, January 03, 2010

Every Child is an Artist & Altered Art

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

~Pablo Picasso

What is it about growing up that tends to make us lose our creativity? Is it the harsh judgments we hear from others? Is it the perfectionism that we incorporate into our being as we try to live up to others' expectations? The old "don't color outside of the lines" routine? I know for myself I continue to replay the old song of "you didn't do that good enough" in my head, whether it was making up the bed, trimming the strawberries, baking biscuits on the WRONG pan, for goodness sakes!, get off that roof - nice girls don't climb up on roofs!, and on and on it goes!

When I go into my tiny studio with the goal of making art, it is difficult to "turn down the noise", so to speak, and let my spirit be free enough to create. Ohhhh, I see so many talented artists out there, and then I start to compare......and I am never quite good enough.

You know, I think, for me that is the appeal of "altered art" and "altered books" - there is no right or wrong.  It just "is". For me it is a time to explore, to create, to test out new techniques, to find beauty in things that are not inherently beautiful.  To create! I can just start playing and let the pieces fall where they may - literally. I love to arrange and rearrange till the piece looks good to my eye. And the great thing about altered art is if you don't like it, you can always paint, tape, paste, and cover it up and do it over. It can be so forgiving. And if you come back to it later and decide it needs something else - you can just add it. Wha la! there it is- a new piece - different, fresh and sometimes - BETTER. Makes me smile when that happens.

And so I offer a few more of my pages for you to look at and hopefully to inspire you to go make ART. Just do it!


Leaves and Juliette's Farewell


Hearth and Home


Know Life


Buttons


Let Me Hear the World's Music


Together - Windows - closed


Together - Windows - open


India - Tiger


India - Elephants


India - Longing....

That is all for today. I'll post more tomorrow for Blue Monday. I hope you have liked what you have seen today.  It really is with fear and trepidation that I post these - hoping for the best and fearing the worst. Not that I am an artist, but I expect most artists go through that sort of thought process.

Happy 2010 to all of you. I wish you the very best.



5 comments:

Ultimate internet store said...

Happy New Year to you too TRICIA.

I want to share some of my happiest movement in life.
I have some good paintings from france and some my vacation photos i would like to share them with you.
Please visit my site and see them.

Thank you.

Ange said...

Feel the fear and do it anyway. Your art is beautiful but that is beside the point ...it's you indeed that it has to please first. Very inspiring and thought provoking post
Happy New Year and look forward to reading more
Ange

LemonyRenee' said...

Tricia, how very beautiful these are. I love them all, but I think the first one is my absolute favorite. I could look at that for a very, very long time. Lovely!

Now, let's go find a roof to climb and hang out on! Race ya!

suesueb said...

I agree-I think if we could capture that spirit of the way we created when we were young we could be so free. That's is what I love so much about altered art, each artist can express themselves so individually. NOTHING is wrong!
Thanks for the visit and comment about the fabric. I post most of my kid's clothes on my flickr page. Here's the link for one of the dresses. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/froufrousuesue/page3/) I guess I didn't take a picture of the one with the little trees at the bottom and I'm saving the deer one for next year now. Have fun this week creating. Adding you to my blogroll so I can check out your pages. I'm working on blankets for my grandson's bday party as favors.

Kim, USA said...

Hi Tricia..this is my second time I followed you altered art. I have not reach the blue monday post yet for I am reading your entry so well I want to understand how to make it. My first question is where do you get the book? Is that a random book or you already have something in mind? How do you choose the book? Where you get it? And if I already have a book do I just have to put anything in every page?
Hehehe I think that is for now that is a lot to answer I guess hehehe sorry!

MYM/BM:Christmas gifts