As you know, me and my hubby are a couple of artist. Everyone of us has his/her own story in the field of art, very different each other. My hubby started to work as sculptor and painter about 30 years ago, thanks a teacher he met during his study at the scientific high school (we call this high school "Liceo Scientifico"). The teacher, who was also a known sculptor in my city, understood that my hubby had a natural talent doing sculptures and so he introduced him in the art fields.
Sure, my hubby started to paint and sculpt working in other fields too (you know, to live just doing art is not so simple ^_^), but slowly he started to think about art as his main job and now it is. He paint, sculpt and teach art.
My story is different. I've never thought to improve my skills on art since I was 42 years old, when I met my hubby. I've always had a creative minds and this thing helped me so much in my previous job, sure, but in the past I never thought about me like an artist. Also today I feel myself shy when someone call me "artist" (don't worry, it's a self-esteem problem ^_^).
I wrote about our different stories to introduce the topic of this content: the questions that people usually ask to an (every) artist.
I notice that, even if our stories, our styles, our experiences in art are very different, the questions are the same. I think it's the same for every artist in the world. I'm pretty sure the answer are different, but the questions are similar ^_^
The first is: what's the meaning of this artwork?
They could be simple questions, but they are not so simple. About the first question, for the most of the times my better reply is that's more interesting the meaning that a person give to the artwork than the meaning that I try to put on my artwork. This is because (it's my own thought) I think art has a double function:
- the author put his/her emotions, his/her own thoughts on the artwork and the artwork is a sort of "tool of communication" from artist to people
- the person, looking at the artwork, feel an emotion, his/her own emotion. The artwork can reminds to him/her something from his/her memories or something else.
Personally, I like to know what people "see" in my paintings, what emotion my artwork give to them, because everytime they say me that my artwork give them "something", I know I made a good work. An artwork, for me, have to talk. Even if it can say different things to different people, the artwork have to talk.
The second is: what's your main source of inspiration?
Usually people ask to an artist how the idea of an artwork come to his/her, but not always to answer is simple. For example, I use to get my inspiration from very different things: nature, landscape, people that I see, words that I read, my feelings. I "mix" everything in my mind and, sometimes, a new idea come to me, but I can't exactly say how it happens. It's not like I need a scarf - I knit a scarf, it's something more complex than this. It's more like I need something, but I don't know what - I make something, but I can't explain why. Ok, maybe you think I'm confused and sure, I'm confused when I try to talk about this.
Better if I talk less and I paint more :D
I started this content yesterday night, while I was a bit tired after a busy Monday, but this morning I wake up with a funny idea for a pic of myself and so I wanted to use a couple of funny photos to this post.
It happens also with my artworks: sometimes I start a new work thinking to do someting "serious", but at the end the result is something different, like my freaky characters ^_^
See ya later
Silvia