MAKING MY WAY AS AN ARTIST – in the 1970s

The creative process in all its many forms is the key to emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing….

After my successful solo exhibition at the Chester County Arts Association (1976),….I was invited to exhibit in several different galleries and ended up in some important collections. My animal paintings sold very well. For the most part they were watercolours, interspersed with large oil paintings.

I then exhibited at the Philadelphia Zoo and produced the above poster for fund raising purposes for a new ‘big cat enclosure’. (The only commercial printing on offer at that time was ‘offset lithography’ – expensive and often hard for artists to market) however because this poster was sponsored by the Philadelphia Zoo and International Cat Association, the signed edition of 1000 sold out very quickly. Today we have the luxury ond ability of printing to order….

My late Mother sitting in front of one of my large watercolour leopard paintings in the USA

As stated in my last post – This was a new beginning for me….and so I had yet to find my own style or indeed direction..….I can attest that this takes much time, focus and patience.

To begin with I used the animals as my ‘jumping off point’ – to learn all about watercolour.

Now fifty years hence, I am always pleased when someone says they recognise my work. My style has changed dramatically over the years – plus I had to make my living as an artist and so did not always have the luxury of painting what I wanted to paint. However every painting is part of the artist’s journey and through each and every painting we learn..

It’s important NOT to judge an artist on one painting or exhibition…. I believe that Intelligent judgement can only come when we see where the artist has come from – in other words what their journey as an artist has been..

Along with animals I started to sketch and paint portraits. In 1977 a beautiful young actress from Paris, France came to live with us in the States, Claudia Nottale.– She was seventeen when I painted this small oil on canvas. It was to be the first of many more portraits of Claudia over the years.

This picture was taken when Claudia visited me this past September….In my Hampton flat we continue to be very close.

A charcoal sketch of Claudia.

My children, Jarrod and Christie, were with me throughout….I often painted with Christie strapped to me in a papoose. Because there is almost nine years between the children…in those early days, Jarrod would be at school and Christie would be with me in the studio.

During this time I met people who would become life long friends although sadly many are now dead….

Dear Jack and Jane Lukas….although gone they will always be part of my life…and through them I became close to the Kearnsclan.…who I consider to be like a family.

and then of. course my dearest Uncle Sammy who died a year go…..

In my next post I will talk about dealing with galleries and the frustrations of marketing ones own work and how different the art world is today than when I started out fifty years ago.

I leave you with the following from my book THE APPLE EXERCISE….

‘It takes 28 days to form a habit……

Throughout my many years of painting and teaching, I have heard over and over again the frustration of those who would like to explore their creativity, but who always seem. to find that life gets in the way.

I came up with the ‘apple exercise’ 35 years ago because in principle it is very simple and effective. If followed, three positive changes will occur.

One, a new habit will be formed, which will bring consistency to work. Secondly, by practising a little every day, observational and technical skills will improve, and thirdly, participants will begin to ‘see’ the apple in many different ways.

Janet.

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