I love detail. These days, my attention to detail in my painting is bringing me success in selling my snake rocks. I just had a palm-sized garter snake sell for over $100 on ebay – which believe me is really cool! I like to make my work as detailed as possible – as realistic as possible, because I love realism. When I was in second grade, we were all making large paintings of autumn trees using tempera paints and sponges. Because they were so large, we all had to take turns. I was last and we were running out of time so I quickly painted my tree the way I saw trees – with a trunk leaning to one side, branches reaching out at angles and the autumn leaves here and there among them. Later I looked at the other kids’ trees. They all had very straight upright trunks with big bushy leaves at the top. Mine was different than theirs, but to me it looked more like a real tree. In 4th grade we learned how to embroider. The other kids did pictures of one subject – like a horse, or a flower. I did mine of a Spring day – a bird hopping on the ground, several flowers, a tree, the sun shining in the sky and even a worm inching itself along. My mom loved it so much she made it into a pillow top. In junior high, I made a sugar cookie shaped like an oboe with all the keys in the correct spots. In high school, it was a clay pipe that looked just like those that Native Americans made hundreds of years ago.
Yes, I really pay attention to details. Sometimes though I wish I didn’t. I am unable to draw just a simple picture of a cat. I have to try to get the shape just right, the perspective, the face, the fur….aaaaarrrrggghhh! It drives me crazy! I so admire my daughter’s drawings. She doesn’t like to draw, but when she does, I enjoy how simple her drawings are. Just a little cat – sitting there without a perfect nose, the ears lopsided, no drawn on fur. But you know it’s a cat – and it’s cute – there is nothing that takes away from it. She says she cannot draw very well. I tell her she cannot draw like me, but she can draw like herself and I think that is wonderful! I show her on ebay how so many people draw and paint differently – and that people buy art that maybe others may see as not being so good, but for that buyer, it is what they want. I also remind her that there are many different ways to be creative – for example, she likes to write. Writing can be an art in itself. My oldest son has great difficulty writing and drawing, but he can build things. My youngest son loves to draw – monsters, warriors, vehicles, fight scenes and I find his ideas are awesome, even if I cannot always tell what everything is in the drawing. Detail is not everything when it comes to being creative. Sometimes the best things are simple. Someone else may not be able to paint like I do, but that does not make their painting any less valuable. Value is not always monetary. The true value in art is how it makes a person feel when they are creating it and to see the end result. And that really, is the only thing that matters – details or not.
amylenore 