Simplicity. Lines. Space.
Since travelling to Singapore in the spring and now China and Taiwan in December I have felt a growing affinity to asian art and themes in my work. I love the lines of bamboo, the circles of lily pads, and the spare brushstrokes and space found in sumi-e paintings. I’ve been searching out sumi-e art online and studying which styles and techniques resonate with me.
It’s amazing what can be expressed in a few lines in space: Beauty, peace, grace.
While I strive to achieve the same effect in a photograph, I often can’t. I can’t always get the right angle. The background may be distracting. There is no space to be found.
And so this month, I tried something new. I created the lines in space myself. This image is a digital painting created start to finish on my iPad. It’s inspired by a photograph I took of bamboo, but it’s not a photograph. Much as I love photography, there are moments of frustration that I can’t capture what I want. There is a freedom in creating from scratch, and leaving things out. It allows me to express myself when the photograph just isn’t quite right.
Simplicity. Lines. Space. They call to me.
A new direction? Maybe. Or just an expanding of the circle. There is space in my art for all manners of expression to coexist.
Happy New Year! I’m back home from my holiday travels. I was gone for the last two weeks visiting family in Colorado. It was a much needed rest and now that I’m back home I find that I’m ready to take on the world again. Whew. I was worried there, for a while. December was rough, from a creative perspective, as you can probably tell from my sparse postings. But having the time to relax and start creating again at the end of the month was just what I needed. It allowed this new direction, the interest in sumi-e painting and exploration of digital painting techniques on my iPad, to emerge.
On my trip I created photographs and played with digital paintings alike, finding it a spectrum of expression that bleeds together from one end to the other. After creating a base painted image I used many of my usual photo apps to add color and texture to achieve the desired effect. It all connects, I couldn’t have created this without the knowledge and techniques I’ve developed in my mobile photography. So that’s why this non-photograph is in the Photo-Heart Connection. I’m not going to draw imaginary lines on what art is allowed or not allowed in this practice. It’s all my art, and if it has a heart connection, something to teach me, that’s all that matters. I’m done with placing things in imaginary boxes and drawing lines around them saying what “is” and “isn’t” allowed. I threw out those rules last year.
So if you’re not a photographer, join in with us too. What matters is the heart connection in your art, not the medium it was made with.
How was December for you, creatively? What connected to your heart, in this dark time of the year? Share it with us. The link up will be open through January 12.
Beautiful! I’ve played a little bit with “paper” on my ipad but not recently. I’m glad to see you back (but totally understand the need to step away). I hope you’ll be continuing PHC in 2014, as I truly get a lot out of it.
Happy New Year!
Rinda
Yes, PHC will continue in 2014, for sure! Happy New Year to you Rinda!
Love your elegantly colored bamboo <3
(Should that read open until JAN 12th?)
Oops, yes! Jan 12th! I’ve corrected it.
I will admit I’ve never been able to get into Asian flavored art, music, instruments, architecture, on furnishings BUT I will admit I love this. Maybe it’s the colors, maybe I need to go revisit some Asian art and see if my palette has changed.
I like the implied diagonal line and use of negative space. The warm texture behind also appeals.
How lucky for you to be able to travel so much this year! I wish I knew how to be a world traveler AND make money to live. Must be a way. Hope your holidays were rich with family and joy.
On to the PHC 2014.
I know what you mean Susan, I find much of it overwhelming as well but there are different styles and techniques within Asian art world just the same as in Western art history. I think, regardless of the source of the art, it’s finding the pieces that are interesting to you, letting them inspire and leaving the rest.
It has been a good year of travel. My holidays were great, thank you. Glad to have you in the PHC for 2014!
I am glad you had a time of rest from the creative pressures that can sometimes come with being creative and needing to create. I am also glad that you are back. However and whatever you make is beautiful.
Thank you so much for your encouragement and support, Sarah!
Kat – Happy New Year! Glad to have PHC back for 2014! And I absolutely LOVE your digital painting – I too love the spare simplicity of Asian artwork and you have incorporated the beauty of that style with your own “Kat” touch. I look forward to seeing where this exploration takes you.
Happy New Year Brenda! It will be interesting to see where it takes us both. Thanks for your lovely comment on my image!
Welcome back! Simplicity is a theme that is calling me right now and this certainly fits the bill. Lovely!
Then we can be sisters in striving for simplicity, Dotti! Nice to hear from you. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for continuing to host this wonderful project, Kat. I really love the new direction you’re taking in exploring Asian art! It sounds like you really needed the break and got renewed energy for your creative endeavors. Wishing you a very happy and creative 2014!
Beautiful piece! I, too, love the simplicity of this type of Asian art, and I’m fascinated by the idea of creating it digitally! I also love your idea of using the various photo apps on a painting. So many new ideas to try!
Best wishes for the new year.
Thank you Jill! It’s interesting to play with different mediums, combining them in new ways that traditionally wouldn’t be done. I think I find this kind of ongoing exploration and play one of my favorite things about Smartphone Art.
Hi Kat! Glad to have you back. I’d almost forgotten about PHC this month, but better late than never! Your image above is very beautiful. I knew from first glance that it wasn’t a photograph, but was surprised to learn that it was entirely digital. I’d have guessed it was a watercolor. I like it very much – the simplicity, the soft colors, and the textured background. I’m really curious to see where your ever-changing creativity will take you this year! Happy 2014!
You know Lee, I am curious to see where it takes me too. I can never predict! Happy New Year and of course you aren’t late — the link up is still open, right? 🙂