What Exactly is Mature Art?
Cynthia from Chasing Jessie Applegate 2019
In my last blog post I talked a little about what is going on with my own art process and creativity. I touched on how I was stepping away from social media and TV to try and spend more time focusing on my creative practice. Part of that is a deep dive into Jospeh Albers Interaction of Color. What started as casual reading has actually turned in to a full out creative practice in color theory. I have already learned so much I cannot wait to see what else I learn. I have also started doing Sarah Simon Modern Watercolor Botanicals book. I am continually surprised at the detail that has gone into this book and just how much it is revolutionizing my own creative watercolor practice.
As I have committed to my own artistic process and what that creative practice looks like I am starting to contemplate what it means to be an artist moving forward in my life. I have been, in short, asking myself what exactly does my own Mature Art look like, where do I see myself and what projects do I hope to create in my life moving forward. When I imagine my own mature art I think about work that takes my full body to create and experience. It is work that asks hard questions and tells important stories.
My legacy is something I often think about. I know that I do not want “fame” or the kind of things that come with it. But I want to know I created something that touched others. Part of this legacy is the work I do with my gallery Cambium and the non profit organization I work with Portland Open Studios but part it will be the artwork I leave behind. I am unsure what that will look like but I am ready to expand, I know that.
Something I have realized in this break is that I am unsure what role in my artistic practice social media will continue to play. I have always viewed it as a necessary evil. Something that I knew to be a way to reach others and share what I love about this difficult career. However I am contemplating deeply the distraction it also plays. Staying visible is a full time job that eventually sucks up my creativity.