Opportunity Knocks

Okay, so I was feeling sorry for myself. It was of my own doing. I decided not to continue with my sketching group this summer. They all decided to pay our old teacher to lead us around sketching over the summer. With the economy as it is, and money being so tight, I decided that I could go it alone, and use the money for drop in drawing sessions instead. I was feeling sorry for myself, because I know I will miss the comradery, and insights of my fellow sketchers. I draw everyday, and many of those times I go sketching by myself. What I don't do is sketch with friends except for my sketching group.

My grandfather used to say "Never a door closes, than another one opens." Well, I have been pleasantly surprised to find that artists from some drawing classes I go to are all now inviting me to draw or paint with them. Some are groups, some are just one friend, but it is like once the others knew I was not going regularly with a group, they felt more at ease to invite me on their outings and I am thrilled.

I originally joined the sketching group to find places to go draw at a later time by myself. Instead, what I received was much more. Friendship and fellowship of other artists. And now I am finding that fellowship is much broader than I had ever imagined. I always thought of art as a lonely creative process. I have trouble talking and drawing or painting at the same time, and I have seen demonstrators having the same problem. I have heard that art is a lonely vocation, but I believe that as an artist, I need fellow artists as much as I need to breath.

It can be tough being an artist. We create, and often do not know where or when we may be able to show our work, or if anyone will like it. We display our souls to the public for all to see, and criticism, or poor reviews wound us to the quick. Eventually, we develop leathery skin that helps us withstand the negativity some people show us, and we are still able to move forward and create, but that does not mean it does not hurt.

This is where other artists come in. We share a common bond in our drive to create art, and our need for recognition. Other artists I know who critique my work have always done so in a constructive way, and never mean. They are honest because they know how important honesty is to each and everyone of our development, but they do it knowing that it can be very wounding, and really want to help.

Also, I find discussions with some of my artist friends to be mind expanding. For instance, I always believed that an artist develops a "style" and then enhances and continues to develop it. I was amazed when two of my artist friends said they believed they had several styles, and used different ones at different times. This was a completely foreign to me. I was struggling because I thought my multiple styles to be unnatural, and now I can accept them as just what I do.

Artists supporting artists is one of the keystones to the joy I feel living an artist's life.

The above image is the last sketch I did with my sketching club. I did it in charcoal because it seemed right. I wanted to depict the mass and roughness of the boulders, and I focused on feeling the shapes. At times I felt more like I was carving out the boulders, than drawing them on paper. A powerful experience, surrounded by my fellow artists, sharing a common bond.