Sculpting or Painting

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Sculpting or painting? There is no secret that between sculpting and painting I prefer sculpting. Yes, I like to paint, but I prefer sculpting much more. There is no secret that very few people sculpt and many people paint. When it comes to painting or sculpting parties, many people don’t know there are sculpting parties and by default they prefer painting until they try sculpting. If you visit a gallery today less than 10% of the pieces are sculptures, unless someone forgot a broom in a corner after cleaning and is calling it ‘a sculpture’. Many will disagree with me but placing an object in a room is ‘a statement’ not a sculpture. Sculptures are not many. In one of the books I’m in from about 350 artists only 5 are sculptors. Sometimes there are expressions that seem to separate sculptors from the rest of the artists like: artists and sculptors, call for artists and sculptors, accepting art and sculptures, and the like. Why is that?

Photo Nov 28, 2 13 40 PMGalleries and exhibit curators will justify this occurrence by pointing out the issue of space. Sculptures take more space and interestingly they often don’t have pedestals for them. Sculptures are also heavier and make it more work to display. Getting into art exhibits and shows is easier than coming in with paintings. They also might mention that collectors and people in general are more inclined to acquire paintings maybe because paintings don’t occupy that much space at home. I heard many times people with children who are afraid to buy sculptures because the kids can bump into them and because they don’t have much space at home. Artists justify the preference for painting over sculpting because of the cost of materials to produce, storage space, working space, mobility, in transit costs and risks, and did I mention space?

The world is 3D. It makes sense to me to translate from 3D to 3D. It also makes sense to me to translate from 2D to 3D. It also makes sense to me to translate images from 3D to 2D and 2D to 2D, but I prefer sculpting. When I am sculpting it feels like a conversation, a journey, an adventure that develops with every step. On the other hand, I’ve never been inclined to do what the majority of people is doing just because it is ‘the norm’, or cheaper, or easier, or more acceptable, or even more commercial. When many of people I knew were singing on stage I was doing comedy. The norm is not attractive to me. I enjoy sculpting. The fulfillment that comes with seeing my work alive is something I don’t feel when I paint.

To Be Aware Is to See

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I watched a commercial on television that really got my attention because I do the same thing. I’m not sure what the product was or what exactly the narrative was about but I found it very interesting. There is a guy taking a train ride looking at people, their expressions, the silent screen of their eyes, the happiness of the moment, the gestures of the hands, what they are wearing, and how they conduct themselves. As the man observes them he explains how he takes all this untold stories into his music. I believe it was music. Honestly can’t recall. However, this awareness is one of the most important characteristics for artists who want their art to be meaningful to people. If artists can ‘see’ people beyond the presence of a person standing or sitting there, they can take it to their art, and their art in return will take it back to the people. People then can connect with the art, the artist, and back to themselves.

To be aware is to see. Seeing in a meaningful way requires a higher degree of consciousness beyond the image transmitted from the eyes to the brain. To see is to connect to the world outside with watchful discernment. Requires for us to be alert and sensitive to the unspoken messages of the surroundings. That sensitivity comes from personal awareness. Without self-awareness we are disconnected from the outside world and we can distort or misinterpret external messages. Discernment leads to revelation. The revelation that allows us to see beyond what is in front of our eyes that transmitted into our art is capable of touching lives.

An interesting aspect of awareness is knowledge. If we add knowledge to what we see we can make objective interpretations based on facts. I mean objective as objective gets. We all know that a completely objective interpretation of the world around us is completely subjective based on our values, beliefs, and understanding. The sky can be blue for some but others can see it dark. Understanding why others see it differently than us is a result of knowledge which turns a subjective interpretation into an objective interpretation of the attributions behind it. We can be sensitive to that interpretation from someone else without surrendering our interpretation or our personal beliefs.

The Aha Moment

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You are just going through the day keeping your brain busy trying to reconcile ideas that come in many forms and then ‘aha!’ one word connects it all together. Maybe is one image that makes it all make sense. That object that was right in front of your face seems to talk to you and make you go ‘Eureka!’. Of course you don’t  need to run home naked like Archimedes did when she figured out how to measure the volume of an object. His method might not worked but I bet it was a good moment for him according to the myth. The aha moment is that lightbulb that goes on in your head that allows you to see it all clear.

I had that moment yesterday. I was working on writing a few things for the blog, organizing a few painting and sculpting parties, and doing the graphic design thing for marketing, and then it happened. The concept behind the new collection I’m working on made complete sense with just one word. That word connected events and its consequences to provide substance to the concept from which a lot can be said and discussed. I don’t want to reveal the details at this point and spoil the surprise but I want to share some advice to make the aha moment happen and what to do when it happens.

The aha moment generally comes as the result of a problem that requires a solution that has been bothering and interrupting your thoughts and probably your daily routine. It is not the same as having an idea that is taking shape and growing like a baby inside the womb. The idea is already born and other ideas are born with it. You see these elements floating around but you need a way to interconnect and make sense of all of them as one. Finding that connection is not necessarily pure luck because you are thinking about it. You might be taking time to read about it and talk about it. That is my first point of advice: take time to observe, read, talk, and play with the elements of the problem. Whatever works for you to feed the idea and make it stronger.

The idea starts growing and feeling more comfortable to see the elements together. When you get to that level of comfort my advice is to move away, step away, let it go for a while, turn around and do something else. Find something that makes you relax. You know the idea is still there. Subconsciously you are still working on it. Doing something else will allow you to loosen your muscles and your neurons. Play a game, watch tv, listen to music, take a walk, take a nap, and come back refreshed. Your senses will be ready to receive revelation. When you get it, and you will, write it down. You can also take a picture, record a voice memo. Do not let the revelation fly away. Preserve that bridge that is now connecting all the elements together.

Pursuing Inspiration

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The ancient Greeks saw inspiration as goddesses that visited humans and moved them to create based on the specific muse. It was not only about art but as a form to express human experience and knowledge including science. There was no differentiation in terms of intellectual value between art and science. Science is and art, and art is a science. For both a constant exploration is necessary to discover new things, to enter into a new revelation that can change preconceived ideas. Interestingly in art, as it happens with science people don’t necessarily agree on the results. That is a subject worthy of exploration in the near future. For now I want to focus on the visitation of the muses and those mental blocks we artists experience.

It is not a rare that artists sometime experience a lack of inspiration. Feels like ideas don’t come or simply can’t find how to get in ‘the zone’. I believe that’s the best time for pursuing inspiration instead of just waiting for it to come. It is the best time to study your craft, understand and evaluate your technique, experiment with materials, plan for the future, and prepare yourself. That is part of developing discipline. We should work at our craft even when we are not working at it.

Read previous posts about these subjects:

The Discipline in The Discipline
Studio Time: Work on Something or Nothing
Experimentation and Discovery

I get a brain cramps when an artist says that there is no technique to work on or that ‘studying’ what they do is not necessary. What chef doesn’t want to try new spices? What dancer doesn’t want to learn new moves? Your passion guides your efforts to become better at what you do. Your passion also guides your interest in learning more about what you do. As I said several times before it has nothing to do with ‘formal institutional education’. There are libraries and there is the internet. Leonardo da Vinci was autodidact. No excuses are valid.

One way to begin is to look at previous work and compare to more recent ones. This comparison allows to evaluate your progress, what changed, and what needs change or improvement. Looking at your own work is a platform for inspiration. Bring back those old sketchbooks. Experiment with old and new materials or simply play with them. Plan and prepare yourself for the future. Visualize how would you like your next exhibit to look. Walk around the exhibit in your mind and look at the pieces you would include in it. That could ignite new ideas. Draft your ideas. Doodle what could become your next masterpiece. Don’t wait for inspiration to get to you. Pursue it!

Philosophical Sense

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Making visual and philosophical sense are processes that go together in my head when I am sculpting. It begins with a simple idea that develops into a story. Creation and understanding join the journey. A piece is finished and a second one joins in telling its own story while joining in a greater story without casting a shadow on the first. They both have an important role to play. Then another piece joins the play, and another, until the collection is complete.

As I start putting together a new collection for the next exhibit I find myself staring at each piece making visual sense individually and collectively. There is a silent language, a quiet conversation between the sculptures and me. We communicate and understand without words. However, I like to articulate into words, better yet translate what I see into words. There is a story, a concept that joins them together. There is a greater message behind the union of two elements.

Art speaks by itself. Let art speak. My art speaks to me visually and intellectually, and it is my hope it does to people too. I’ve met artists who refuse to put their art into words. They claim that the visual should speak by itself and nothing else. They say that their art should speak for them. I respect their position. I like to write about it. I like to talk about it. It is so exciting. I am as passionate about making philosophical sense as much as creating art and making visual sense.