Sunday, May 31, 2020

Great New Artist: Ref 4 Amelia Boshoff


Artists are generally defined as human beings who expresses themselves through their unique experience of existence and who create something that communicates more than its surface value. Maybe Henry Ward Beecher realised this and had Amelia Boshoff in mind when he said: Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

Well then, let us meet this Amelia…

Hi Amelia, pleased to meet you! Where are you from?

I am a self-taught free-time oil painting artist from South Africa who was born 49 years ago in Carolina, Mpumalanga and grew up in Pretoria.  I currently live in Valhalla, Pretoria with only my husband at my side.

Did you have any formal art training?

I took Art as a subject at high school for five years where I learned the basics of art. I never had the opportunity to study further or to get advanced art training. However, through the years and while doing art as a hobby, my creativity continually developed and my own natural style evolved from that.  


 
                                                
Protea Love
Protea Explosion

What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

I started working full-time in 1990 at the SA Air Force until present – I am a Codifier.

Did you always want to be an artist?

Art has always been part of my life and gave me pleasure from very young age. My goal is to become a professional artist, because I always had that desire to create outside the stereotypical ideas of what makes art “Art".

Art stereotypes are misguided perceptions or beliefs people have about what art is or should be. Their observations are based upon how these art objects look on the outside only and this on itself is a type of prejudice, because what is on the outside is only a tiny small part of what there really is in a specific body of art. Courageous artists feel comfortable taking creative risks to make a work of art break the stereotypes.

What inspires you to create?

I am inspired by music, nature as well as the books and publications I read such as SA Art Magazine. 
God blessed me with an analytical mind and great patience. I have a kind-hearted, spiritual, striving, sentimental and determined personality and it contributes to my art. All this and being an artist in my free-time gives me freedom and a peaceful mood. My thoughts then nourish my creativity and allows me to give special attention to detail.

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton.

Do you use photo references?

I have an extensive computer-based reference library containing a large collection of wonderful images. I enjoy anything that is tempting and challenging and studying these inspiring pictures allowed me to develop a unique style. I love to paint scenes of lighthouses, flowers, vintage cars, cobble stone streets, seascapes, landscapes and especially narrow street scenes. 

       
New York Lights
Vintage Creek

























Which artists are you most influenced by?

Thomas Kinkade and Andrew Tischler are my hero’s and my role models.
Thomas painted realistic, pastoral, and idyllic subjects. He used glowing highlights and pastel colors which I adore. I admire the scenes such as gardens, streams, stone cottages, lighthouses and streets that he painted. Like Kinkade I also have the passion to capture memories and to evoke and emotional connection in a painting.

I also adore Andrew Tischler’s magnificent, beautiful and imposing realistic landscapes. He seems to pour himself into the paintings – something I similarly attempt to achieve.

                        
Painting by Andrew Tischler
                   
Painting by Thomas Kinkade

















Do you do commissions?

I have done a few commissioned pieces for friends and family and I will gladly accept any requests from other art lovers.

Which medium gives you the most joy?
I personally love painting in oil.  The colours and textures of oil creates eye-catching works of art. Oil paintings are easy to care for, it is only required to use a damp cloth to get the dust particles off.

How did you make this piece?

Table of Serenity

If you look at the picture and detail you will notice that I developed a unique style.  I love to contrast the rough mountains and the coarse sea sand with the softness of the deep-blue sea, the white foam and the lighter shades of the sky. This way I am trying to, in my own personal way, reflect calmness and serenity in an old, much-explored setting.

How important are titles to your artworks?


Titles are really significant as it directs the viewer of the artwork to firstly identify the artwork and secondly to put the piece in perspective and appreciate the underlying meaning. The painting then “speaks” to the viewer and makes them feel they are actually there themselves.  

Can I see your studio?





Make creativity happen: 
1. Create space. 
2. Sit down and breathe. 
3. Work when stimulated and enthusiastic. 
4. Cultivate purposeful connection 
5. Try new things. 
6. Engage with topics and processes that are totally different.


The favourite part of being an artist is being my own boss in my studio and not having to answer to anyone else in what I create.


What should artists do these days to market their art?

Artists should present and promote their art on as many social media platforms as they can, Examples are Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and art websites.


Where can prospective buyers see your work?

Some of my art I just give away as gifts. The rest of my artwork can be viewed on the SA Art Explosion online portal at this link:
I never held an exhibition before but I am hoping to do so someday.

What would you do different if you had the change and opportunity?

I wish I could learn more about the intricate techniques and details about creating a three-dimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface and the science of light and depth (eg. atmospheric perspectives).

What role does the artist have in society?

The unspoken expectations of society are the fears of an Artist. We as artists must commit ourselves to be a creative contributor towards society and believe in ourselves. 

 

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Be true to yourself, don’t give up, learn by doing and keep your mistakes close! 



My Remarks:

Thank you Amelia, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you and we wish you a wonderful art life!

Regards

Steph

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Let’s Get Creative: Ref 2 Artistic Creativity Takes Courage, only?

Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse

I must confess that I am, or was up to now, completely ignorant concerning the concept of “creativity”. I had to bring myself up to speed about it, but once I commenced with an awfully “surface” research on the topic, I was instantly impressed by the fact that creativity should be superior or tremendously treasured as both the artist- and the non-artist factions are firstly in a frantic rivalry to define the concept and secondly are wrestling to death to claim sole possession thereof.

At the practical end of things (let us call this end the “Engineers”), I was met with a plethora of terms, processes, stages, components, characteristics, theories, etcetera up to a point where my tender artist mindset was totally confused, yes – virtually overstretched beyond restoration. At the opposite “Artists” end, definitions like artful, artistic, aesthetic, and gorgeous were in profusion. This academic glug-and-all by this time already started making me feel more than slightly lame in the brains department. Until I made few discoveries….

Firstly, what made it somewhat bearable was when I read that the cool-headed Engineers are dead certain that Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. This may be true for a small number of us hot-blooded Artists, but not for me – I must admit that I tend to produce while I think and then make improvements where and when I think necessary. Is my reverse artistic creativity even slightly analogous to reverse engineering?

Well, the second great finding that I made was also kind of comforting to me. I namely discovered that the academics are stating that there two main types of creativity, namely Deliberate and Spontaneous - you surely guessed that I like the last one better, so let us then please leave the first one to the Engineers. Each of the two types has “Cognitive” and “Emotional” divisions. Yes, and again I preferred the latter. I mean where do you get an emotional Engineer - crying because they created before thinking - for pete’s sake.

Thirdly, the professors then rambled on and tried their utmost best to explain to my worn-out left mind the different parts of the human brain and how they function - blah, blah, blah, big-words-times-ten – and then, eventually, they came to the phenomenal conclusion that Spontaneous and Emotional creativity (the ones I like better!) happens when a certain part of the brain is resting (yes, resting!). Furthermore, only at the end of their hard day’s work, the poor academic lads and ladies then realised that spontaneous and emotional creativity is mostly found in great artists such as musicians, painters, and writers etc. They even gave it a nice name and linked it to “epiphanies”, whatever that means, just hoping it does not refer to "lazy brains".

Fourthly, these guys even went to extreme ends to please me by declaring that there is no need to have specific knowledge for “spontaneous and emotional” creativity to happen, but that there should be a skill such as writing, musical or artistic. They concluded their "glorious assignment" by stating that “this type of creativity” can’t be obtained by working on it….

Well, let us then summarise it for ourselves: Artistic creativity equals 1) resting brains, 2) zero knowledge, 3) no work? Hallelujah. Amen.

Someone once said that everything outside of the world of art has concrete rules which may not be broken. Art on the other hand with its freedom to interpretation, only has loose rules which are broken often and freely in order to create higher calibre art.

In conclusion then: To be artistically creative par excellence, should we not give our brains a rest, take that courage and start breaking those loose art rules?


Monday, May 25, 2020

The Creativity Column: Rev 1 The role of parents

Blog Detail (1)

How is creativity developed in preschoolers?
Activators or stimulants for creativity in the life of the preschooler
  • Creative play develops preschooler confidence, language, physical and thinking skills, imagination and emotional understanding.
  • Dramatic play helps preschoolers make sense of the world.
  • Arts and craft activities encourage self-expression and decision-making.
  • Sound play, music and dance let preschoolers express all kinds of feelings.
Benefits of learning and development through specifically arts and crafts
  • Improving self-expression: Preschoolers love to express themselves and their ideas using crayons, paints, play dough, clay, scissors, glue and paper.
  • Exploring shapes, spaces, textures and colors:  Your child will begin making basic shapes, and might enjoy experimenting with texture, space and colors in pieces of art. For example, preschoolers often draw houses with shining suns above the roof. This is because this kind of picture is made up of basic shapes like squares, triangles and circles.
  • Developing decision-making: Craft activities also let your child make decisions for herself. For example, should the roof be red or blue?
How is creativity developed in school children?
Activators or stimulants for creativity in the life school children
  • Sharing: It’s important for a child to enjoy and think about the process of creating things. Parents can help this happen by encouraging their child to share artworks and creative activities with the parent and their family.
  • Involvement: When the child is creating something, it’s good for them to keep experimenting and changing their artworks until they feel they’re finished. Parents can encourage this by showing interest in what their child makes and helping them when needed.
  • Dialogue: Whatever artwork a child comes up with, the parent should encourage their effort with lots of descriptive praise. This is great for your child’s confidence.
  • Space: Parents can also encourage creative activity by giving their children free time to play and stepping back from their child’s play. Even boredom can encourage children to think creatively
Ideas on how to get your child started with creative activities:
  • Form: Use large cardboard boxes to build chubby houses. Let your child come up with the structure and decoration.
  • Space: Give your child a large piece of paper or cardboard to decorate or draw as an imaginary place. For example, your child could paint an outer space scene and then drive cars between planets.
  • Texture: Play with textured paint. Add sand, dirt or sawdust to paint and use this to decorate boxes or make paintings.
  • Exploring: Make invisible ink out of a mixture of lemon juice and water. Your child can write a secret message with the ink. When it’s dry, he can hold the paper up to the light and see the message reappear.
  • Imagination: Make robots out of recycled materials like boxes, kitchen materials like foil and craft supplies like pipe cleaners.
  • Media: Combine drawing, painting or clay-making with digital media. For example, make a clay model and take photographs of the model. Your child can use these photographs to make up a story using an app.
Other specialist sources to consult on this aspect:

The Importance of Art in Child Development

“Simple creative activities are some of the building blocks of child development. Learning to create and appreciate visual aesthetics may be more important than ever to the development of the next generation of children as they grow up….” Read more at: http://www.enhancethearts.us/images/ChildDevelopment.pdf
“You may already know that art is a great way to treat anxiety and stress in children. But did you know that it also positively impacts their cognitive and physical development? Keep reading to learn more about the amazing benefits of art!..........” Read more at: https://exploringyourmind.com/importance-art-child-development
As kids manipulate a paintbrush, their fine motor skills improve. By counting pieces and colours, they learn the basics of math. When children experiment with materials, they dabble in science. Most important perhaps, when kids feel good while they are creating, art helps boost self-confidence. And children who feel able to experiment and to make mistakes feel free to invent new ways of thinking, which extends well beyond the craft room. Read more at…. https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/intellectual/why-art-and-creativity-are-important/
Famous art quotes from  ilovemykidsart.com
  • “Coloring outside the lines is a fine art” Kim Nance
  • “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” Pablo Picasso               
  • “The urge to draw must be quite deep within us, because children love to do it” David Hockney
  • “Art is the colors and textures of your imagination” Meghan, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999
  •  “Why do you try to understand art? Do you try to understand the song of a bird?” Pablo Picasso
  • “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see” Degas






Saturday, May 23, 2020

Great New Artist: Ref 3 Shabana Vashi

       

It is always immeasurably pleasing to meet a person who has a clear vision and who is never scared to use imagination, technique and color, all in abundance, because this is what transforms an ordinary painter into an extremely great artist! 

“The colours in my art reflects my mood when I am painting”


Hi Shabana, nice to meet you! Where did you grow up?

I was born 43 years ago in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat, India as the eldest of three siblings. Gujarat is the most western state of India. Its coastline is 1,600 km long and the state has a population of 60,4 million. Vadodara is a good city to live in as it serves the best in education and food and also has respectable people. The city also has rich heritage of the ancient Maratha Emperors.
I graduated with bachelor degree in Physics at the Maharaja Sayajirao University that was originally established as a college in 1881 already and it has one of the oldest Physics departments in India.
In 1997, after I completed my studies, my family joined my dad who was in South Africa.
I am married now and has two daughters as well as a son. My girls love doing artwork like sketch, fabric paint, watercolour and crafts at school, but my son is not interested in arts.


Were you always an artist?

I am a former Maths and Science high school educator but I am now a housewife and entrepreneur (Supervisor for Forever Living Products).


What is your art training background?

I am a self-taught artist. I did some artwork in high-school as a hobby and only took it up once more in October 2019 after I watched lots of YouTube tutorials that inspired me to start painting again. I am now planning to become full-time artist.


What is the best thing in being an artist?

I love to create something out of nothing and find that I can express myself through my paintings and its colours. The colours in my art reflects my mood when I am painting. When I start a painting, I sometimes get so inspired that I paint fast and find it difficult to stop. If time permits, I need a maximum of a week to finishing such a painting.
I also love when family and friends appreciate what I do and when my paintings become part of someone's life and home!

                   


What inspires you to create art?

Nature inspires me to create. I love beautiful landscapes, sunsets, full moons and seascapes. I do mostly use photo references and when I come upon such scenes, I get excited and cannot wait to capture the scene in paint and to express the feeling and emotion of the moment. Actually, I don't know when to stop working on my painting. I keep working on it till my kids tell me to stop! They are my biggest critics! I see satisfaction with my work as success - I don't measure success in monetary terms.

Who is your favourite artist?

Duong Tieng from Vietnam. I love the landscapes and stunning use of colour and it inspires me to establish my own niche and style of painting.




Are you doing commissions?

Haven't started with commission work yet, but have got some offers to do Islamic art calligraphy.

Which mediums gives you the most joy and what else are you doing?

Acrylic is my favourite, but I have also done contemporary artwork using a palette knife, brushes, aluminium foil, cardboard, cling wrap, etc. I have also experimented with balloon smash, chain pull, string pull and pouring art and even used shaving foam to make a painting!


“This video is of “Pink Explosion” (acrylic on canvas, 
400x400 mm). It's a combination of smooth lines and 
texture in the abstract art style and gave me immense pleasure in creating it.”

Do you do any research on art?

Before starting my painting, I do research on things like reflection of light, shadows, depth of paintings and layering.
I also study Islamic art and learn calligraphy.

How important are titles to your artworks?

Titles are very important as it tell more of the passion and emotions when the painting was created. For me sometimes it's poetic and sometimes it's just a plain few words! Occasionally I look up to my family and friends to give my paintings a suitable title.

           

Which of your paintings is your favourite one?

All are favourites, making it difficult to choose, but I think the recent one “Sunset over the Lake” is my best work so far.



What is the hardest part of creating a work of art?
To get started is the hardest part of creating a work of art. I don't have a full day to create, maybe a few hours a day. City life is more chaotic than country life and it is harder to find time to create more. I paint after finishing my chores and putting the kids to sleep - I have a hyperactive 5-year-old!
I don't have a dedicated workplace but I am planning to renovate a corner of my bedroom to make a studio for my work.

How do you market your art?

Online marketing and social media are the best form of marketing these days. It however still takes years to establish yourself and make a brand name for your artwork.
To me it is a very emotional process to sell my artwork personally.

Where can prospective buyers currently see your work?

Currently my artwork is published online only. I have my digital catalogue on my Etsy store “Art by Shabana” and I also am a member of SA Art Explosion.
I haven't taken part in any exhibition yet but would like to in future.

In your personal view, what role does the artist have in society?

Very important! They make the world more emphatic and loveable.

What’s the favourite part of your art?


 To exhibit my paintings and show them to the world

                                                                       


What would you do different if you had the opportunity?

If I could go back in time, I would start as a full-time artist and studied fine arts instead of sciences at University.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Practice, practice and practice. Keep painting! Practice makes perfect.

Regards

Shabana






















Lets Talk Art: Ref 3 Art or Ornament? 23 May 2020



Art or Ornament?


The other day I was astonished by a statement by one of my friends who, after his retirement as lawyer, became a full-time fine artist creating brilliant acrylic paintings. You have actually already met him as "Philistine" in our very first Let's Talk Art article.Well, this troublesome remark by my friend was sparked by the following incident. I have namely emailed him some pictures of amazing art pottery made by another very gifted friend of mine. The lawyer’s wife immediately fell in love with one of the pottery masterpieces and I, in my true nature as serious advocate of art sales, then swiftly took up the opportunity to suggest that the lawyer acquire the piece. To my horror, this fellow remarked that his spouse has plenty of “ornaments” already. Of course, he was just making fun at me. He has always been very articulate and true to his profession thoroughly recognize the significance of expressive terms in a court of law. Therefore, when this well-spoken law-man presented to “court” this true piece of art as just another specimen of a variety of decorative objects, it forced the “jury” to question their frame of reference and to reconsider their longstanding beliefs. It left the bench with the aenigma that all ornaments in the general sense of the word cannot easily be defined as art but that ALL art may well be classified as ornamental.

Still in awe, I then countered another friend of mine. This serious artist likewise has the gift of the gap and a way with words, spoken as well as written and she is fiery by nature. You know me, I like to stir…… As expected, this lady totally lost it when I suggested that she assist me in exploring the possibility that art may only be decorating our homes.

This was her response.


There is a vast difference between decorative and academic art. In previous centuries, original art were honored items in households and homes were never jam-packed with wooden crosses, baskets or welded geckos. Art was admired, original items that could only be afforded by stink-wealthy folks. The exception was less well-off art lovers that saved money and made down payments on original assignments for the reason that they simply could not live without it. I tend to have more admiration for the latter, because it is an indication that the buyer recognized the artist's soul in that workpiece.

Decorative items, on the other hand, is a fairly new trend. The stuff are usually the product of crafts and mass production and unfortunately also include replicas, prints and copies of real artwork. This commercially driven industry made it affordable for people to embellish their homes, floor to ceiling, with items very often reflecting the brand MADE IN CHINA. Décor fads and whims are sheepishly trailed by people with money and whose knowledge of art is diminutive. Decorative items can thus easily end up on the garbage heap amongst other rubbish, because people soon get tired of it, or it goes out of fashion and they then seek another trend or decor tendency to waste money on.

One tiny step up from the above, there is furthermore undeniably a trend of so-called artists, who in sausage-machine-style, one after the other, turn out paintings of flowerpots, bicycles or scrubbing megapode hens under a washing line. Emotion and thoughtful topics and abstraction play no role in the childlike version of topics which the masses adore. Ignorant buyers will then pay astronomical amounts for an “original” piece signed by an artist with a household name, only a) because the neighbor and everyone else owns one b) the item is decorative and c) the buyer look at it and they "understand" the subject. These “artists” are especially successful when they have a marketing strategy that attracts particularly feminine "groupies". "Art" then becomes a ridiculous method to catch the herd animal. These are the types of artists that make art banal and insignificant. Like DEFY, it becomes public ownership.

Yes, nowadays "kitsch" is high fashion, but can one really compare a Fabergé egg to an ostrich egg featuring a painted image of an ostrich or put a Lalique glassware item next to a Consol glass item? So, by the way, I also despise poor art being mounted in most expensive frames that are worth ten times the artwork. Another thing - true art is not a style or subject which repeats itself on every tomdickanharry’s walls and therefore mass-produced copies and prints can easily degenerate true art into a Tretchikoff-like decorative item. 

True art, on the other hand, is a reflection of the soul. It is original work created by man's hand, inspired by emotion and passion. This process involves visions, color, detail, texture and even odor. Influences and several aspects and facets of an artist's life journey and their emotional life space at the time of the creation are notable in the outcome. It then takes a real fine artist, a serious art collector or an art expert to recognize the subtle nuances of genuine art, to interpret the technique, subject and soul meaning thereof and to occasionally make their own observations. If this can be done, only then can we call it real art.
.
People who buy real art are in two distinctive categories - some buy to make an investment; others acquire artwork for the intrinsic value thereof. I personally believe a lover of fine art will always have an original piece, even if it is very small, has been made by an unknown artist or has no sales value at all.  Yes, and it is sadly true, many real fine artists with excellent training and sometimes genial talent are never recognized. Luckily true artists are not dependent on approval of others, neither is money the driving force behind the creation of real art. Most excellent artists can only make a reasonable living as only a very small number of them get a lucky break and become famous. But this never kills the inspiration to create.

Therefore, it all depends on taste, culture, environment, training and viewpoint, whether you see a real artwork as a decorative item or as an ornament.

What I referred to above is an based on 45 years of being a professional artist

Regards
Dorothy Laguerenne Wannenburgh Mathews

My notes:


1.    How do you describe ornaments? (Make your pick…)
Here are some adjectives for ornaments: noncommittal and ostentatious (showy), wonderfully beautiful and complex, single meretricious, fragile native, exterior and adventitious, false or unseasonable, fragile and priceless, deformed but indispensable, gaudy and technical, flexible, circular, slender and charming, chief and ...https://describingwords.io/for/ornaments

2.   I am still not sure if a fine piece of art may really fall into the classification of "ornament"….


Ps. You can view Dorothy’s art on Facebook at:

Kind regards

Steph