A lifestyle choice
Except for an 8 year apprenticeship in the printing industry I have painted all my working life. This happened not because I made a conscious choice. It happened because I wanted the lifestyle that being an artist offered. I wanted the freedom of working for myself and the freedom to do and say what I pleased. In the beginning I suppose I thought that I could change the world. In the end I only changed myself.
One thing I've come to realize over the years is that art cannot be taught. Art is a passion. The study of art does not create artists. You cannot 'learn' how to become an 'artist' any more than you can learn how to live. You just have to do it. Art is the ability to listen as the world speaks. Art is the ability to interpret and express what the world gives you into something that is your vision. It's not the real thing. It's your vision of the real thing.
After painting for most of my life, and pursuing photography much of that time, I awoke one morning and realized the passion wasn't there anymore. After producing so many paintings I just lost the desire. The fire had died. So I quit.
I didn't paint for many years. But I missed it. Every once in awhile I would clean my brushes and sort my paints. But I never painted. I just couldn't get started. However, I knew I would again one day.
That day finally arrived with the advent of ink jet technology and digital cameras. With the new high quality, professional ink jet printers it became possible for artists to produce their own limited edition prints in their studios. These prints were not only better technically, with a much wider range of color, they also lasted longer and would not fade for up to 200 years under normal conditions. This was better than commercial reproductions which often faded within 4 or 5 years.
Also, with digital cameras and the digital darkroom I no longer had to work with chemicals and acids. I no longer had to save up to buy a dozen rolls of film for each field trip. I was able to take off with a few fully charged batteries and just shoot and shoot. Later, in my studio, I would spend hours pouring over what I shot, rejecting many, saving a few and planning my next trip.
I soon realized that the passion I had felt so many years earlier was slowly returning. I often stayed up till 3 or 4 in the morning working on the shots I kept, turning them into my very own masterpieces. I was becoming an artist again. Some of the shots I edited for fine art prints and added to my catalogue. Some I used for reference and began to paint.
I realized one day that I was enjoying painting more than I ever did. Painting used to be work, now it had become fun. Thanks to the digital revolution, painting and photography were becoming part of my life again. Painting or photography
Taking pictures is not a science, it is a happening. It is to whisper a silent 'thank you' as the world presents a moment for only you to see and interpret. It's personal. It's a little like falling in love, over and over again.
Painting is similar but is anything but objective. Painting happens over the duration of the work. Whereas photography is the essence of capturing a moment, painting is building that moment from your interpretation of what you see and feel.
I love both painting and photography. They go hand in hand. However I will be doing less and less painting and more and more photography as time goes on. With a serious loss of vision painting is becoming increasingly more difficult. For this reason we will be borrowing back selected paintings I've done over the years to photograph to turn into limited edition Giclées. But that's okay. I'm still able to do what I love. Being an artist is a lifestyle choice. It is free and demanding at the same time.
Looking at the world through different eyes
Being an artist is a journey of personal discovery that must be taken alone. There is no other way. After seeing how the world really works, I look at it in a totally different way than I used to. After partial vision loss I also look at my work in a different way. I don't plan to give up painting completely. But it's obvious to me that I will have to change my style substantially to be able to continue. This and the ordeal Brad is going through right now have certainly made me realize how easy it is to take life for granted. There are no sure things in this world. There are only challenges.
John Crittenden
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