Dynamic Dreamer ~ Art Weaver

Happy New Year Everyone!

It’s hard to believe that 2010 is here and my 43rd birthday is fast approaching. Yes, I too ask myself the perennial cliché question: where did the time go? If it wasn’t for my art, I’m quite sure I would have a hard time determining how I’ve spent the last year (or my life, for that matter). My paintings have always been my personal timeline—they document my own journey in a way that reflects my thoughts, feelings, observations, cognitive and soulful responses and evolution as an individual. I have been working professionally for over 20 years and have proudly amassed a nice collection of published works, with most efforts still being viable and “in print”. But I’ve also hit that midway point—wondering where my art is going to take me from here…

After finishing The Fairy Tale Tarot (read archives) and engaging in subsequent publicity efforts, I must admit that I felt depleted.  It was a long term project that had become part of my daily life (and it still is in some ways). I needed to move forward, but a stubborn wall of artistic fatigue stood in my way. I did work on 2 pivotal fine arts pieces that most certainly hinted at things to come. But after I finished, I was artistically dehydrated. I felt I needed to connect with something outside myself, but wasn’t sure what it was.

So at the spur of the moment, I decided to offer custom drawings through my LisaHuntArt purchase page. There have been many people who expressed interest in owning one of my originals, but felt purchases during a protracted recession was not feasible. And truthfully, I can totally understand this. My immediate solution was to offer unique drawings made to order at an affordable price. This gave my audience the power to determine the imagery and thus be part of the process, despite limited resources. Many of my friends and family questioned my offering—feeling as though I was undercharging people for time spent creating unique drawings for them. But my answer is a simple one. In the process of “undercharging” I was recharging. Not only have these drawings been greatly appreciated by the customer, but they have helped to nourish my artistic soul. And as a result, my palette has been refreshed with new piles of watercolor paint. By giving a little bit of myself to others, I in turn have received.  And creating and sharing has been a joyful experience! It’s one thing to be published and to have ones work distributed en masse, it’s quite another to know that one’s originals are out in the big world being loved and appreciated by those very people who may have purchased the publication. I now understand what it means to be a fine artist and to have originals pass from the creator’s hand to that of someone who loves the creation.

Here are some of the custom drawings I have done for people in the last 6 weeks.

I’m proud of this collection and am over the moon by all the positive responses that the recipients have expressed. There has been great feeling and meaning invested in these works. And in turn, my enthusiasm for painting has been renewed! I was practically explosive with creative energy as I tackled my first painting of 2010, The Bear-Spirit—all that pent up energy released onto the paper with glorious satiation. Thank you everyone! Thank you for helping me to feel the powerful allure of artistic expression. And if you too would like to order a drawing and be part of this growing gallery of these self-determined unique visions—check out my purchase page and let me know what you would like me to draw for YOU.

~Lisa

Tags: artwork, creativity, drawing, drive, satisfaction, studio, work

This entry was posted by lisahuntart on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 at 2:30 PM and is filed under Life Lessons, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.