Courage to Persevere

Your art isn't selling. You are dissatisfied with your art (your life). You expected something different at this point in your career, in your relationships, or in your bank account, and this has you doubting yourself. It's to be expected! It is a necessary part of the creative cycle.

We buy into judgements of good and bad, so-called progress and stagnation, but it is all just relevant experience. The low times evolve you into greater courage...if you persevere. Learn how to deal with the uncomfortable times, and keep on keepin' on with a sense of appreciation for the unknown.

"The function of the overwhelming majority of your artwork is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars."  from the excellent book Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland 

Extraordinary Courage           Acrylic on Canvas          24x24x1.5

With this abstract I see the rich passion of our desires and our potential, and the brilliant, vague world of the unknown. There is growth when we venture into the unknown.


www.JoanFullerton.com

"To see far is one thing: going there is another." Brancusi

Come a little bit closer now...discover some magic.

Out on a Limb, 38x30, mixed media on paper, 
laminated onto a board and framed. 

When composing art, my goals include wanting to create powerful images, bold enough to be appreciated from across a large room, and delicately embellished enough to captivate and entertain upon intimate viewing. I don't want you to "get" it completely at the first viewing, but rather I encourage you to  become acquainted  over time and from different vantage points.

With this detail of the painting, you will see a spot of pale yellow which could be a small sun residing low in the forest. You are likely to discover the delicate lines at the horizon, marks which animate and perhaps suggest life on the earth; you might enjoy the embossed gold drizzle on the large tulip-like shape, reflecting light and sitting above the surface, and you might even discover the small 5 white spots, which for me represent family.

If I had painted a representational landscape, I would have offered less for the viewer to contemplate. The magical aspect would not be part of the visual design. 

"If I paint a wild horse, you might not see the horse...but surely you will see the wildness."           Picasso