Random Notes From a Critique

One of the two groups of women artists I network with chipped in to have an art instructor from a local (Boston area) art school give critiques of our work. There are fourteen of us in our group. Seven of us were requested our work be critiqued, and two others sat in and listened. We had about 20 minutes +/- each, and we each brought at least five pieces we considered finished and one that was in process.

The group critique was a chance to get feedback about our work. Here are some random notes from my critique, thanks to one member of the group who recorded what was said. This may or may not make sense to anyone not there, but here goes:

Are the fences more than grids, keep out, keep in?

Fences as camouflage

Don’t have to have a meaning

How many ways to explore the grid inside outside back front buildings… can go on and on creating more work

Breaking out of the grid

Time

Painted and printed fabric

What other materials can you use?

Painting to technique - art

Technique to art – craft

Role of color

Random choice of color

Colorful fall

Sometimes monthly piece inspires work or sometimes inspired by what I’ve done

Seven years of weekly work and three years of monthly work

Bigger size on board 30 x 40

Work on Mylar different layers of grids on top of each other

Vermont Studio Center next May

Work in ways that are not possible at studio

Don’t do what you know how to do

Bring some things you need and some things for no reason

Think of studio as installation

Use the time over and above the time, caffeine sleep in June; push the time to the max

Use as a turnaround time not just time to accomplish, no plan but further than that goal – are goals are what we believe we can see but often we can go beyond what we think we can do

Sleep with construction fences

Wear construction fences

Date your construction fence use it as more than a material, have a relationship with it

Make bigger that you think you can

Don’t limit

Keep combining materials

Keep stretching

Artists:

Chuck close

Rembrandt

Window size paintings vs easel paintings

"Don't be afraid to be afraid."

"See what the work is, not what it was intended to be."

I may hire him to come to my studio, sometime in the near future, so he can see more of my work, and we can have a longer, more in depth conversation.

Yesterday's critique was different than the Portfolio Reviews I have participated in over the past couple of years, because those were more about networking with galleries, museums and consultants. Here are my thoughts about each one of them, here, here and here.