Take Your Art to the Next Level and Say "Wow!"

Today’s Image

Villas

Acrylic on Canvas

Copyright 2008

Do you know where your art is going or where you are taking it? “Now, what is he talking about?” you ask.

I’m talking about taking time to study, think, plan, conjure, or imagine how you will execute and render your next artwork or genre. It’s figuring out where you want to take your artwork and talent. It's deciding to take it to the next level.

For me, it’s usually when I am deep, deep in the rendering of a current piece of work, and I need a mental break to rejuvenate my artistic senses.

For you it may be the day you try a new medium or return to one that you haven’t used for a long time, say, more than a year.

It could be the day you or I make that leap and fortify our determination to paint that one break-through painting that will grab and electrify the art world. Visualize that!

Here’s what I’m talking about.

In my case, for several years, I have been reading up on and learning as much as I can about the Impressionists. This may sound cliché or bourgeois, as they say in Paris, on my part. But it’s what I like, at least at this point in my art journey.

I want to know more about the painters and paintings of the Impressionist era (Monet, Degas, Cassatt etc.). In addition, I want to learn about the painters that came before (Courbet), which influenced the Impressionists, as well as those that came after (Matisse) and were influenced by them.

I study paintings rendered by the Impressionists, then visualize my paintbrush on canvas producing a fantastic-looking piece of art with all the harmony and chroma to take your breath away. It won’t copy Impressionism by any means; rather it will be my interpretation rendered in 21st century with my own eye (see Today's Image).

Your artistic future will, I’m sure, take a different path, and it should. What art do you like to view? Who are your favorite artists? What style really grabs you? Where do you see your art in a year or in ten years?

Individualism, creativity, technique, and ability are some the ingredients to make viewers (and critics) sit up and take notice of your work. Add in a determination to get you artwork shown and seen--along with a little luck--and you are ready to take your art wherever you want it to go.

It won't be easy, but the satisfaction will come when you (and others) view your work and say, "Wow!"

Cheers!