I posed an odd question to the group this week...
"Could you send me a picture of your least favorite painting?"
While I'm sure there were quite a few furrowed brows, I assure you there is a method to my madness. This blog post was actually born of a conversation I had with my parents. I had showed them the progress on my recent painting. I was explaining to them that there is some art I do understand and some art I really don't. I am a part of the "Art in Canada" facebook page. I noticed people who have undeniable talent and I feel like I'm left in the dust. I also noticed people whose art I really don't have a taste for. I explained to my dad that some people seek criticism on their work. I also explained that people who put their art out there don't necessarily need to be good at it. Even if the work is objectively imperfect, why is there anything wrong with that? I support people who express their creativity.
When you put your art work out there, you are letting in the good with the bad. When I look at my completed painting I feel a sense of peace. The picture sits well with me. I'm sure any artist out there knows when their work doesn't sit well. There's a sense of disarray and disharmony. Sometimes we are limited by our ability at the time. Artists are notorious perfectionists. We treat a bad painting like a bad memory. We bury it or hide it away where no one will ever see it. I tend to turn the canvas away from me so when I walk by it, I don't look at it.
Instead of looking at our imperfect paintings as something negative, I'd like to turn it in to a positive. I believe there is beauty in our mistakes and these are something we shouldn't be ashamed of sharing. I look at some of my work and I cringe at how much I dislike it. I have learned the process of painting is not about seeking perfection. I believe we all have an individual perspective of the world and there's nothing wrong with sharing it.
Because this was my hair brained idea, I decided to post the painting I dislike the most.
This was when I first got back in to painting. It's an absolute disaster as far as I'm concerned. The paint all "blobbed" together and became one mass of color. It almost reminds me of a finger painting gone bad! I like the colors. I just wish I had created a bit more space between the trees. I don't think I even named this one! It's a muddled mess. My fellow PPAA members were kind enough to send me some of their least favorite paintings. It just goes to show that we are human after all.
J.C
"Through
the Stain Glass 20x16 acrylic. Not much to say, I just don't care for it. But funny part is that I do like the colours. It's the love and hate
mixture."
D.T.
"I
don't like the background and I think the mustang is too stocky, although
that's how it was in the reference photo. I changed the background once
already and adjusted the horse a bit, still needs more work to come close to satisfying
me"
H.S.
"I painted
this from a beautiful photo taken by a friend from the Turks and Caicos but I
just couldn't get it to work. Colours, light, perspective all wrong and
ended up looking nothing like I wanted it to. Now in my junk pile waiting
to be painted over."
M.D
"Painted this in Hilton Head SC en plein
air several years ago. Was never very happy with it. It’s in my
basement. Not sure I ever hung it or entered it in any of our shows."
C.M.
"It’s 24 x 36 in. acrylic on canvas. This one
pretty near drove me crazy trying to paint every single reed, and when it was
finally finished, I didn’t even like it. This is not my usual colour palette, I
usually like blues and greens—maybe that’s one reason. Also I wish I could have
found an easier/looser way to paint the reeds. But it’s just not in my nature
to paint that way."
It just goes to show you that even the most seasoned artist can struggle. Even if you're just starting out, keep in mind there is no such thing as perfection. I look at the above paintings and I find beauty in each one of them. On the path to success there is always minor setbacks. I guarantee you Monet, Rembrandt or Van Gogh made paintings they were not happy with. If we keep in mind the masterpieces they turned out, I suppose mistakes have their purpose. For it is in making mistakes we can improve our skills. If it leads to our own personal masterpiece... then I guess there is beauty in imperfection after all.
Happy Painting!
