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So this is new for me. And you might be thinking, "Whoa! Where is she going with this?" Let's discuss...
Georgia O'Keefe was an art teacher in Texas painting flags and rabbits before she met her husband Alfred Stieglitz and became the mother of American modernism with her infamous florals.
Jackson Pollock started off painting midwestern realism paintings heavily influenced by his mentor Thomas Hart Benton before coming into his signature drip paintings.
Picasso (he is straight up known for his Blue Period), Monet, Helen Frankenthaler, the list goes on... all artists worth their salt evolve. Try new things. The great artists get known early on for a series, then the next series is where they realllllly hit their stride.
This doesn't just apply to painting, of course. It's any art. Taylor Swift swept through Atlanta last weekend with her Eras Tour and I swear it's the only thing people were talking about (I like her music but far from a #swifty... give me Fleetwood Mac any day). Though while at a baseball game for my oldest, one of the moms was gushing about how Taylor performed for 3 straight hours (even I'm impressed with that one: woof) and sang songs from every album. The mom went on to discuss which albums she loved and which were okay, though it made for super dynamic show.
And that right there is it: it made for a dynamic show. One that sells out and people want to watch for hours and hours because it's evolving, yet still true to the artist and her signature subject and in this case, sound.
The trick, of course, is that with all of these evolutions, it still needs to feel like the maker. You still have to keep the things that are loved by the artist and the viewer... a clear vision yet touches on different points.
So here I am, evolving... but using elements that you know from me, so it's clear that when you see each piece you know it's mine without having to see the signature. In this case, I played around with my signature marks, and made them the subject. This is something I've been doing in my sketch book for years, and finally felt the draw to the canvas.
I wanted to have more of an effortless, organic feel with these. I've blurred some of the marks so that they have the sketch book feel: smears from when your palm rubs on the pencil marks, erased smudges, lots of texture. I kept the palette neutral to give balance to the overall look, and not overwhelm the marks. I love the sense of play they give off, while still being grounded and peaceful.
Check them out and let me know what you think. Maybe we can call it my Eras album!
XO,
Augusta