After writing the essay on Kubota’s work, I realized that I had declared an intent to be a serious artist. By which I mean, someone who creates pieces of great beauty, power, and aesthetic, that express the Muse strongly enough to prompt the sense of awe I felt looking at Kubota’s work. That seems ambitious, but without ambition, nothing would happen. I certainly think it’s something worth striving for.
But, if I want to be serious about art (and I do!), I’ll need skills and knowledge that I don’t have. My training is in science, and my professional experience is in business/organizing software projects; I don’t have any background in art or art history, color theory, or any of the ancillary skills that I believe would be helpful in creating the kind of work I’m after. I can develop those skills and get that education, no problem: my problem is figuring out what to study. My education is woefully deficient in these areas – the school I went to didn’t have a single class in art (unless you count a how-to course on silkscreening), so not only do I not know anything, I don’t even have a good idea of what’s out there.
I don’t mean to denigrate my skills, by the way – I’ve worked hard to get a fundamental understanding of weaving, and I understand a fair amount about fiber arts in general. But I don’t think that that alone will get me “over the top”. So I am struggling to figure out what tools might be useful.
Obviously, this would be easier if I had a good idea of where I was going. (In that respect, Kubota had it easy: he knew what he was after when he started his fifteen years of hard work and study.) I don’t. I believe this is something I will only find out as I learn and grow, and that’s the hard part: bumbling along while I figure out what suits me best as an artist.
I do know a few things. I know that my medium will probably combine two or more of the fiber arts. I know it will involve color, since I like using color. It will be fine, detailed work, because that’s what I’m drawn to. I’d like it to contain representational art, which makes much more “sense” to me than abstract art. And it is most likely to involve weaving, dyeing, and/or some sort of surface design.
That’s pretty general, but it’s a starting place. The most obvious deficiencies, if we’re talking about representational art, is that I can neither draw nor paint anything representational. I can do simple things – I once spent an hour sketching a poison oak leaf, and the results were pretty good – but complex things like the human figure are beyond me. So I have a choice between studying drawing and/or painting, or restricting myself to things that don’t involve freehand drawing. I think I need to study drawing.
I also think I need to study color and light. The book on Kubota’s work mentions that he was strongly influenced by Impressionist painters and their use of light. I’ve seen Impressionist paintings and I haven’t the foggiest clue what the book meant by that. I think I need to understand how color and light interact to form the “feel” of a piece. So I’ll add that to my education list.
And, of course, I’ll need to understand weaving. I do have ideas of what to pursue in that vein; obviously I can’t study everything, but there are a few areas that seriously interest me, and I’ll start there.
Outside of that, I don’t know what would be useful. So I am curious: if you were me, where would you start? And, any recommendations for a jumping-off point in drawing/painting, art history, and color theory?
I just want to congratulate you on this commitment of yours. I can’t speak to what or where to study, other than to say I benefited enormously from a two-dimensional design class offered at an art college. I’d also say that you may not really need tremendous skills in creating representational art, depending on exactly where you want to go; you may be fine with skills in color and pattern only.
I have two books I would recommend. 1. Color Workbook by Becky Koenig. It is used to teach color theory and has very good exercises in the back the other is Deign! A lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople by Steven Aimone. The last one was suggested on another list and I am enjoying it very much.
Teresa
I would seek out an expert. You sought out Sharon when you needed help beyond your expertise on the dress and coat. Why not do the same with drawing, perspective and color theory. You would also get the benefit of one-on-one instruction. I don’t know if that’d be feasible for you, but it might be worth checking out. Good luck!
I approached weaving pretty much completely ignorant of the art world. I was extremely fortunate in my initial weaving teacher who was, in fact a fibre artist, not primarily a weaver. She pressed me to think beyond the basic pattern to concept. I also took a Design Fundamentals class. While at the time it didn’t appear to be enormously useful, in the end it was. I think a class on Art History would also be useful. I never did do that, and regret it.
Cheers,
Laura
I was delighted to read this post!! Just keep doing what you have been doing (no–don’t weave another wedding dress!). Decide what you want to weave next and acquire the knowledge and skills you need as you go. For an artist, the acquiring of knowledge is not something you do and then say, now I have the knowledge so I can now paint, weave……… Rather, it is so inter-related with the art process itself that it can barely be separated from it. Color, for example, was not an issue in weaving your wedding dress, and so you did not need to learn about color. An artist is always always exploring and always always doing. So, what do you want to explore? What, then, do you want to weave that would help you to explore? Or, another way, what do you want to weave. Then, knowing that, what do you need to explore and do? Sooo………just keep on trucking. You are on the right road. A side note on drawing. The reason for drawing is seeing. Drawing teaches you to see. This is why so many artists draw.
The most helpful book I found was “Art and Fear” by David Bayles and Ted Orland. The internet has provided me with much information re design and color and I think it is helpful to look look look. It may seem a waste of time but the looking is extremely informative as you develop a sense of your own voice.
One of the most eye-opening color classes I took was with Sharon Alderman at MAFA in 1999 where we spent 5 days working only with Color Aid papers to achieve various color goals. Since then I’ve gone back to study independently with Sharon in this same area. Look at her doubleweave thread pieces for a lesson in color and light. She can make your eyes believe that there is a spotlight shining on a particular area just by her choice of colors.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is a wonderful learn to draw book. The exercises are good and simple and build you to the point you can really draw. I took a class with Lynda Greenburg who worked with Betty Edwards. It was great. For a while I drew every day – then moved to pen and ink and watercolor. Amazing what daily practice can do.
Color study is good too – helps teach you what you are really seeing.
Your journey is inspiring and helps push me to work on mine.