You Don’t Have To Have A Degree In Art……..

We sometimes think that unless we learn it all that we can’t create a great work of art. That is not so. Art is about willing to take risks and play and explore. Artists throughout the ages used their tools,  took risks and explored to drive their art.  Picasso was one of these artists that pushed and played to move himself forward in creating. He had  not been happy with some of his paintings. He cut some paper and glued it to one of his sketches. This became Collage. The term collage was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.

What things do you do now? What things are you drawn to? What supplies do you have? Are you a realist or do you enjoy abstracting the real?
These are all questions to ask yourself when you are just starting out. I encourage you to take the tools and supplies that you have and do whatever comes to mind. Example… For a long time I painted in watercolor. I love it but as things go I just wanted more. But I didn’t know what to do or how to do it. I kept asking myself, “what do I want to change? Why am I not as happy any more?” I didn’t know that I was growing. Change is growth. After much reflection and after a five day workshop I was taking, I realized that watercolor just was not bold and bright enough and that it did not contain the elements I wanted.

An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate it, it becomes transformed by thought. ”
-Pablo Picasso

First, I started painting using the paint right out of the tube. Instead of using the brush, I was using a pointed stick I had found in the yard. I would buy oil and acrylic brushes and break the ends off the handle some so there was a jagged edge and run them through the paint. I got tired of that too and found with learning new techniques with acrylics I was happier. I had always loved collage. I missed using scraps of paper and glue so I went back to creating paintings that contained all of these elements.

Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs. ”
-Pablo Picasso

If you think that you need a degree in art to enjoy creating, you are wrong. It’s about playing, exploring and painting things that you like. It’s about feeling good about creating and enjoying the process. This not to say that a degree is not useful. If you are planning any kind of art career a degree is needed. But, if you are wanting to create something because you enjoy art or feel the need in anyway…it’s about play. Create something everyday.

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. ”
-Pablo Picasso