Blog
12/12/2019
New Year’s Resolutions
I’m normally not one for New Year’s Resolutions. They remind me of broken promises and gyms packed in January and empty in March. It’s never been my thing. I feel differently this year. 2018 has been a successful year for me. This year was my first time showing my work and the reception I’ve gotten has been incredible. I was hesitant to start showing my art because I didn’t want something that has been such a therapeutic outlet to become commercialized and stressful. I may have had a confidence issue too. I’m not classically trained. I had only been painting for 45 seconds. I didn’t know anyone in the art community. The entire process was new. 17 shows and a host of new WndrlndArt collectors later, I feel more comfortable in my own skin and in my artwork. I’m ready to make some upgrades and push myself. Not “New Year, New Me,” but “New Year, Better Me.”
Alyse’s resolutions for 2019:
-Use another medium for creation, ie watercolor or oil
-Take an art class
-Host an paint and sip
8/28/18
When Inspiration Strikes...
One question that I get fairly often about my process is, what inspired each piece. The answer varies but for most of my artwork, more often than not, an idea pops into my head like a song. Some of the songs get stuck and hound me until I get the on canvas. Others have me humming the tune but forgetting the words. I’ve gotten into the habit of writing down exactly what comes to mind immediately so I don’t forget. The work that I am most proud of, I can remember exactly when and where I was when the idea came to me. Every time, its like a lightning strike. I get so excited for that feeling. It means that soon a blank canvas is going to be a work of art. I love looking at a finished piece and remembering that the same canvas was just blank. Seeing how paint can be manipulated to convey depth and shadows and highlights. It’s pretty magical. Conversely, if I try to paint when I am not inspired and I’m forcing myself, it never comes out right. The colors don’t blend the way I would like them to. The line work is shoddy. Even my choices in background color don’t seem to be right. It just doesn’t work. It’s a sucky feeling. It almost feels like unrequited love. I love painting and I may want to paint but if the magic is not there, its no good at all. It is an empty, empty feeling. What makes this even more challenging is making sure that I have the time or even bandwidth to execute on this inspiration. I have a full time job. I am a mom. I am a wife. I can’t drop everything and paint when I want to. It’s not possible. Yet. I try to keep whatever thought I have been inspired by on the forefront of my brain until I am able to start painting it. Keeping that flame lit requires focus, priority, and often a cup of coffee at 10pm.
Grateful- 8/7/2018
Everyone likes to be appreciated. A ‘thank you,’ or even an acknowledgement. I appreciate you. Taking the time to read this, being interested in what I have to say based on the work that I have done. Any appreciation of my art is always a shock to me. During my first year of painting, I didn’t share any of it. It was a relaxing hobby that I didn’t want to commercialize. Or was afraid to. Art is so personal to me. I’ve painted my dreams, nightmares, my pride, my weakness, my thoughts, and desires. Not every piece is the most inner parts of my soul but every piece is a part of me. I present them to the world to be judged and if I’m honest, a part of me is mortally afraid of being rejected. You all have done the complete opposite. You’ve liked my posts, written wonderful comments, responded to my stories, read my blogs, and hung my work in your homes. The idea of my art, that I’ve spent hours, sometimes days toiling over, hangs on your living room, bed room, even bath room walls. You walk past it everyday. You will never know how much that means to me. I appreciate you. And not flippantly. From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for you. Thank you.
Color Me Bad, BTS- 7/28/2018
I have been asked several times, where did I get the inspiration for my Color Me Bad series. Honestly? It started with a mistake. I had been working on another piece that I wasn’t happy with and decided to paint over the part I didn’t like with black paint. Having been trained from YouTube University, I was looking for ways to help improve my drawing aptitude. I had just been surfing on Pinterest and was looking at figure reference sketches and decided to sketch one out. I’ve always been attracted to the curves of the female body. The subtle dip in the back, the ebb and flow between the waist and the hip, the cup underneath the cheek. And I don’t say this as a sexual desire but just as one in admiration of the female form. If you look closely, all of my girls have two different base colors. This is to represent the different parts of a woman. The business woman vs the homemaker. The nurturer vs the vixen. The colors used to within the form are to celebrate the vibrancy of a woman’s power when she is completely comfortable with herself. These women are not specifically meant to be sexual. I really intended them to be what you might see of a woman who is completely comfortable and in love with herself, alone in her element. I have featured some lovers. The colors intertwining like energies being shared. I love my girls.
Artist Beware- 4/10/18
I am pretty new to the game. I painted my first piece in April of 2016. I just started showing my work in January of this year. Getting out there and exposing myself is scary enough and add to that, trying to navigate through the world of art exhibits. So far, I have shown my work at 11 events and my experience has been a mixed bag. I've learned how to show my work, what to bring with me, what questions to ask, and how to handle myself. There are shows that are made for selling, others that are made for exposure, and then there are others that seem to exist to, for lack of a better term, to exploit the artist. I understand participation fees. It makes sense that in order to show my work, I might need to help the facilitator host the event. I have no problem with that. I do take issue, however, when it feels like there is a profit being made off of the artists beyond operating fees. As an emerging artist, you really don't know who to trust. I look forward to the day that I can mentor artists that are in the position I am now and offer them a safe place to showcase and sell their work without overextending themselves. Its just disheartening to think that someone's passion and creativity is being pimped out.
Olivia Pope v Nola Darling- 4/7/18
Which outfit do I have on right now? Am I wearing the white hat and stilettos made for war? Or am I wearing the paint stained overalls with my hair tied in a bun? Or is that paint on my battle blouse? I love being an artist. It took a while for me to muster up the courage to even address myself as such and now that's all I want to be known as. But alas, I did not win the Catlett Prize so I have to straddle two worlds. I like my non-creative job. It really has been good to me. I dreamed of retiring from there before I started painting. Before I started painting, my roadmap was clear. A little boring, but clear. Now there's paint splattered all over my yellow brick road and I can't help but want to skip merrily down it. It sings to me everyday a melody of passion and freedom. A song so sweet that I find myself humming along to it while working the non-creative. Not the best way to stay focused at the task at hand. This dual life has me up before the sun and in bed just a few hours before it is back up for the next day. I'm driving back from art shows two hours away to get ready for a conference call. It's tough. I am thankful for the non-creative because I can finance my art dreams. I'm an exhausted artist, not starving. I also have learned a lot about marketing and running a business that art school could not have prepared me for. Everything in it's own time and in the way it's meant to be, right? If you see me yawn, it's because I'm wearing two hats. And I like yellow Red Bull if the spirit so moves you.