The Creative Brush - My art blog: 2018

Monday, November 19, 2018

Love of my life

It's a bright, beautiful day. I enter my studio, set my coffee on the window sill, steam rising up, misting the window a little. I turn on my Queen playlist. It always starts with Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddie Mercury's voice, strong but beautiful, fills the room.

"Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see".

I lay out my colors and brushes, a blank canvas on the easel. I pick up my large brush, take on the painter's stance. My paints flow with Freddie's voice and my brushes dance to his tune. I scoop up luscious mixture of thick paint, and smear it on the canvas vigorously, thinking about large shapes of value and color. I step back and forward, flowing with the beat, scooping up more paint each time; Sometimes lashing and other times caressing the canvas.

Freddie's voice booms across the room, emphatically. "We are the champions... of the world".

I sing along. I'm painting with my whole body now. stepping with each beat, swinging my arms, approaching the canvas from all sides. I feel synergetic with Freddie and it shows in my painting.

"Don't stop me now" is playing.

King's Blue. oil. 6x8in.

The whole canvas is covered now. Giant Piles of paint reduced to driblets. I squeeze out fresh paint. I start adding details. I mix instinctively. My brush jumps from pile to pile picking up fresh paint, mixing them to create colors that sparkle. The grey's are lush and the red's radiant. The sunlight feels warm and bright on the canvas.

Up next "It's a kind of magic"

I am in the zone. I keep painting, refining shapes. Smaller shapes fit into larger ones. I am close to the finish.

"I want it all"

I keep going, adding minor touches. Bohemian Rhapsody starts again. My excitement rises with the crescendo. I burst forth with Freddie's flamboyance. I am ecstatic. This may be my best painting ever.

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality"

"Beep Beep Beep" The alarm goes off and I wake up.

PS: I recently watched the movie Bohemian Rhapsody and I was blown away by Rami Malek's potrayal of Freddie Mercury. It rekindled my love for Queen and it's been a blast listening to them in the studio since then. This fun post is my tribute to them.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

In a world where you can be ANYTHING, Be KIND

@bhavanikrishnanart

I ripped-off a T-shirt quote for my title. I saw my yoga teacher wearing it and it made me think for a long time. Ergo, it goes in my blog. I started thinking about how this applies to artists. I feel fortunate to have met so many wonderful artists in the past few years. There are some that stand out not only for their mad painting skills but for being amazing people. They make me want to be a better person. They are kind, generous and humble.

I have picked up a few lessons from them. These may sound preachy but I am preaching to myself more than anyone else. A reminder to my current and future self.

Be kind while commenting on another artists work, be it a friend or stranger, no matter the setting, casual or an official. Artists are sensitive about what they create. The key is to be genuine. I believe people can easily tell if you are being fake. Besides, no matter the level of an artist, there is always something good going on in a painting. If you have an open mind, you will see it and you can give a genuine compliment. Any artist could use encouragement.

Be kind to someone who is new to any event, art club, figure session or art group. Help someone new with their gear and try to encourage them. If you go painting with a friend, be aware of their needs and be accommodating. The best people are kind, irrespective of the circumstances. Even in a competition setting, they put people first. In the grand scheme of things, one competition is not going to make or break you.

Most of all, don't forget to be kind to yourself. As artists we are our worst enemies, always expecting too much and never satisfied with what we create. You know the horrible boss from our nightmares; that's us. Always remember how far you have come and when someone pays you a compliment accept it and allow it to make you feel positive about your work.

In conclusion I would like to quote Justin Timberlake, who so succintly crooned "What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around". So, next time an opportunity presents, remember to choose kindness.

Monday, October 15, 2018

Why I need a social media fast now and then

@bhavanikrishnanart

This is me. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I look at when I open my eyes is Instagram. I follow about 600 other artists on Instagram. On any given day, my feed includes amazing artwork being posted by the talented people I follow. People are posting paintings from plein air events and invitationals. Several people have shows opening, many others have won awards at various events, some are teaching workshops and so on. Here, I am starting my day with nothing going on, and I already feel like a loser. You see where I am going with this?

It's obvious that this is not good for me. I think in writing this blogpost, I am realizing how much I am addicted to Instagram. Yikes! Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased that I have all of this information at my fingertips and I am very happy for everything my friends are doing and achieving but there is fine line between staying up to date and having too much information.

I used to justify my time spent on Instagram but calling it "research". But is it.. really? What good is a movie director if he spent all his time watching films claiming that he is doing research. At some point he has to stop or actually make his own film.

So, what is an artist to do in this day and age of social media. Allow yourself a social media cleanse once in a while. If you are feeling overwhelmed, just put your phone away and don't look at Instagram until your painting day is over. Sometimes you just need to close that door, not let anyone in and spend some alone time with your paints and your canvas. Listen to some music. Better yet, go outdoors and do some plein air painting.

It seems so obvious now that I read my post but I think I need to write this; just so I can remind myself the next time my head starts spinning, having overdosed yet again on my Instagram feed. It's already happening. Time to start that cleanse. Tata.

PS: When you are not on a cleanse, please follow me @bhavanikrishnanart (LOL)

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Classical realism vs the rest of the world

Painting by Nelson Shanks

After my training (about a year in a classical atelier), I came out believing that classical realism is supreme. Having entered the atelier with no prior knowledge of art history, I was like a sponge, absorbing everything about the rich history of realism. I was in awe of the skill of my teacher and the people around me.

When I learn from someone I admire, I get so caught up with absorbing some of their genius that I start to emulate them to my best abilities. When I left the atelier, I had some skills but felt so lost. I hated using a tiny brush and the amount of time it took me to create paintings that did nothing to me. I was drawn to paintings which were more expressive, like Nicolai Fechin and Sorolla. They did something to my soul that a realist painting would not. For the longest time, I had this battle raging in my head - classical realism vs everything else. In my heart, I wanted my paintings to be loose and expressive but my brain was trained to look at the tiniest form on the nose or the lips and to try and capture it. If I didn't capture it, I would feel like I am letting my teacher down and there-in lies my biggest fault. I had forgotten that the most important person I paint for is myself, not for my teacher or anyone else. I paint because I desire to create. At the end of the day, I need to paint in a style that resonates with me. It is easier said than done. It drove me nuts but the more I painted, the more obvious it was.

Painting by Nicolai Fechin

It's a good thing that I always listen to my heart and not my brain(aka I quit my full-time job to paint). So going against my brain, I sought a teacher who painted in a style that is the complete opposite of classical realism.

Another fault of mine is believing that there is a one and only... When I brought this up with my new teacher, she said something that seems so obvious in hindsight but I was oblivious until I heard it. She said "It is a matter of preference, of personal choice. I would not compare classical realism to impressionism." This conversation changed me. Would you compare Mozart to Nirvana? Each one has its own audience that revere and worship them. Once I accepted this, my eyes opened up to whole new world of artistic sensibilities. I had given myself the permission to explore and I felt free.

I have since learned to admire so many different styles of paintings. I have learned that I love design, and I love line. I love moody paintings. I love complex paintings and I love simple paintings. Most of all, I love paintings that are about the paint application. I love it when the subject is an accidental byproduct of the paint application. It's an ongoing process and each day I discover something new to love.

I have found out what is true to me because I gave myself the permission to do so. I know that this will change as I grow and that's part of the journey. But for now, I can say the battle in my head has ended with no casualties.