Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

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December 10 , 2024

I had an art mentor for many years . Gladys Stocks .
She was knowledgeable, talented but above all else ….
Opinionated !

She didn’t teach me technique, per se. She tried to teach me to be fearless and embrace color and light. She also tried to teach me to be confident about what I created , to have pride in my work and value it.

She passed away about 14 years ago (just before her 90th birthday) but I still hear her in my mind sometimes telling me to brighten up a piece of art or stop telling myself it’s not good 😊🥹

The first thing I was drawn to , subject wise , were buildings, cars and movement in the streets .
Gladys wanted me to explore landscapes from photographs of Ireland and England .
I tried , I really did …but my heart wasn’t in it . 🥺
So eventually Gladys let me paint my dear city! 😊

I was always challenged and I learned something every time I did a painting .
There were many struggles and those early paintings took me 50+ hours to complete . Gladys sent me home with an artists magazine every week, and I would read it from cover to cover.

Fast forward 25 years and the streets , the buildings still fascinate me and above all ….. The People !
There are many ways to capture people . Sometimes they appear “wooden” or very cartoonish .
It’s a real art all in its own for me .
It comes together easier for me now than it did 25 years ago , through years of practice and study ..And I’m thankful for that . 🙏

A lot of people think they have to “ know” about art to feel comfortable shopping in galleries . It’s just not true.
The only thing you need to know is what strikes your fancy ! What makes you smile .

Art is a very personal thing.
Some may see a disaster in an abstract piece while others may find a rare beauty.

I may paint a street scene which evokes many feelings and warm memories for some , but that same painting may not mean a thing to someone else.

Whatever it is that creates a spark for you , … when that happens you’ll find you can’t bring yourself to leave a studio/ gallery without owning that piece ❤️ or you’ll find yourself going back to make it yours.
It’s a wonderful feeling when you find the artwork your hearts been searching for . You probably didn’t even know what it was until you saw it!

I don’t often talk about price or the value of my art .
As an artist , it’s sometimes hard to know the monetary value of your own work .
In time , it sort of works itself out .
And it can change over time - like an apprentice of any kind . The more you know and grow the more valuable your specific expertise becomes. 🤗 ( and Gladys certainly tried to engrain that in my mind!)

I sell my everyday art for $100 .
They are a “one of a kind “ original art.
Some of the paintings are streetscapes and quite involved.
So .. it makes my decision to sell that art for $100 a little more difficult.
So in that case I could decide to sell the original on my “everyday art” but also make prints of the work , or to keep that painting in the studio at a higher price,..
regardless of size . 🙂 That’s another rule that’s meant to be broken
Not all paintings of the same size have the same monetary value🖼️

Are you learning lots ??🤓🎨😎😃

Basically. I think the artist paints what they paint for many reasons.
Sometimes for me it’s just to capture light and shadow .. or to challenge myself with a subject/ style I’ve never done before and learn something, or to try to capture the feeling of an event or a time .

And I think that people support an artists work for many reasons.
Maybe they admire the technique., the art may stir feelings within the person or perhaps it’s a matter of … the colour suits their decor perfectly!

And the value ?….
Well the value of a piece of work is different for every person .

Because , if there’s one thing we know for sure…
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder 🥰

I owe a huge thank you to everyone who has seen something in my art.
Everytime you take home a piece of my art … I smile with a gratitude that lingers 🥰😌