Breaking the Moulds

[Nicola Thomson]

I have always been a bit of a rebel and enjoy going out on a limb(thanks Slirley McLaine).

This is true in my art work .... it  is usually better if the correct way to do something is learnt first..altho just winging it can be fun..then you can experiment with the new tool.

Art work is no different.An example is in a painting I was doing, with both water and turps nearby as I swap between acrylics and oils, well I washed the brush in the wrong pot, frequently, guess what???They DO work together, the water repelling some oil and vice versa.

I have learnt a few things

a.Your leg wont drop off if you make a mistake

b.The dustbin is always there for those pieces you just cant get right!

c.Sometimes you can work thru the problem to the other side.....less is more???Not a philosphy I use often, when in doubt oversew ( the mistakes dont show so much then).

d.Who are you creating this for anyway??

 As an artist ( crafter, artisan, whatever) you are allowed to experiment, but how often do we stop ourselves saying thats not right, thats not how it should be done....

Its your work, do what you want, unless you are doing a competition or something with well defined perameters.

Thats what I tell people who work my canvases, the design is mine, what you do with it is up to you!!

Nicola

[Elaine Wilding]

I love this Nicola I too Iam a self taught  rebel and new stuff is everything. I have I few ufo's waiting for that perfect technique that I have not found and playing with new products is out of this world fun.The dustbin is not a option I cut them up and embellish them as post cards or trading cards. Sometimes I find a small project very full filling  when it is complete I usually love that piece i wanted to throw away.  Art is so much better when it is done freely without restrictions. Learning the right way is good but they aren't the rule of the world. Break out and doing it how it works for you it still will be beautiful. The old saying you can't please all the people all the time lays true here. Please the artist eye in you the great painters of the world did and that is what made them great.