Austin Kleon – Mary Gwyn's Art

A rubber chicken becomes a beautiful hummingbird!

One of the most wonderful parts of teaching painting workshops is when you get to be in on a magical transformation. This past Saturday’s workshop participants, like so many other workshops, consisted of a mix of the never painted before, rusty haven’t painted in years, and experienced artists expanding their knowledge. I love the mix and I love to see people helping each other through stuck places.

All artists have stuck places. Sometimes we are stuck from fear of making a mistake. Sometimes we are stuck because we don’t know what the next step is. Sometimes we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we are comparing our work to someone else’s work, (always a bad idea). Whatever the reason, focusing on persistence and taking the next step forward is opening the opportunity for transformational magic to happen.

Such was the case with Kellie. We were painting tulips and Kellie’s tulip had a very large leaf that was proving to be difficult to paint. Her first efforts to capture the tulip truly looked like an upside-down rubber chicken. Kellie’s sunny personality had her laughing at herself while responding to the encouragement of her tablemates, Tracey and Augusta, and daughter Kelsie. She persisted in her painting despite her doubts.

Painting the Nature of God, Northside Assembly, Jackson, TN

At the end of every workshop, we have a discussion on what each person has created so we can steal tips from each other! We put them up in a row and comment on the attributes of each artwork. The object is to encourage and motivate each other as a group. During our display and discussion is when the amazing transformation was noted. As we moved down the line of paintings, before Kellie could finish her rubber chicken story, someone immediately noted how the chicken had become a beautiful hummingbird. And it had! We hadn’t seen it until the painting was up on display but there it was!! It was wonderful!

In Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way, she peppers each page with quotes and bits of wisdom from famous artists and others. One of my favorite’s is from Jackson Pollock who said, “The painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through.” Kellie’s rubber chicken was really a hummingbird. She just had to let it come through! Her persistence enabled the transformation!

Upcoming workshops at Northside Assembly of God, Jackson, TN here and here.

Upcoming workshops at Watkins College of Art at Belmont University here.

Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way in invaluable! If you haven’t read it, get it now!

How To Steal Like an Artist is an amazing witty little take on what we do as artists. It’s packed full of powerful bits of wisdom!

A special thank you to Amber Grantham for photography and invaluable assistance! A special thank you to Lynn Bryant for lending her artistic expertise!! Thank you to Pastor Brian Jackson for making this happen and creating the wonderful wall to display the paintings on!!

“Bad artists copy. Good artists steal” Picasso (from Austin Kleon)

Did you ever think you would like to own the work of a major artist, like say, Picasso? What would you do with your Picasso? Would you have friends over for cocktails and appetizers so you can show off your newly acquired masterpiece? Would you hang it in the foyer where everyone entering your home would be able to lay eyes on your Picasso as soon as they set foot inside your house? Would you decorate your home in a color scheme to match the colors of your Picasso? Before acquiring your Picasso, you must take these things into consideration. And there are other important details you must consider.

For around 100 euros you can buy a raffle ticket from a charity for the chance to win your very own Picasso. Imagine that! Say you are the lucky winner, what do you do next? Eleanor Steafel, writing in The Telegraph, gives you the details. The first step Steafel recommends is to get insured. Most homeowners or renters policies likely won’t cover a million dollar work of art so you’ll need a better policy. Why so much? There just happens to be a major international wave of art theft crime.

The BBC will be airing a new film by Alastair Sooke on the growing worldwide problem of stolen art and the black market it thrives in. Most of these major art works disappear into the black market never to be seen again. In an article for The Telegraph, Sooke explains why. When major drug cartels and other criminal gangs, can’t deal in currency, they turn to art. Art is often a better bargaining chip. Your newly acquired Picasso just became a target. Whatever security you have is not likely to equal that of a museum, so hopefully you have that insurance up to date.

Or you leave the real Picasso’s to the museums with their better security and just steal a fake one. How can you do that? If you’re an artist, Austin Kleon tells you how on his blog post, “25 quotes to help you steal like an artist.” “I don’t steal!” you say. Sure you do. If you learned any techniques in painting by copying another artist, you’re stealing. Only this is good stealing. Yes, there is good stealing! And good stealing is a whole lot cheaper than buying the real thing. Plus no criminals are going to want your “stolen” Picasso meaning you won’t need that extra insurance.

Once, I needed some doughnuts so I stole them from Wayne Thiebaud. I didn’t actually steal a Thiebaud painting. Just a few doughnuts. He didn’t miss the doughnuts and I didn’t have to insure them. Next time you are inclined to buy a multi-million dollar painting, don’t. You’re an artist. Steal it. And while you’re stealing it, you can smile at all the good you’re doing by stealing your own. No criminals will come looking for it. Your insurance agent is relieved. The new security system won’t be needed. Everybody’s happy.

Tag: Austin Kleon

Persistence to Transformation

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