Still Fighting The Good Fight

Take a look at my most recent post, then come back and look at this one and it’s clear the two are meant to complement each other – they’re meant to be displayed together. They’re both the same proportion, the same subject matter, essentially the same style, with lighting and effects that create balance. They’re easily envisioned decorating a kitchen or a dining room together. Complementary works of this nature is something I don’t do very often. Compare them to the second to the last work, similar subject, but quite different arrangement, lighting, and color. That’s more like what I do all the time; varying each work at least a little bit from the last one. Every work is a new exploration.

Many artists, though, specialize in a particular style or technique, and create entire portfolios of complementary work. Those artists are more likely to be commercially successful. Decorators looking to achieve a certain atmosphere are more likely to draw from imagery they’ve seen often enough to be familiar with; they can simply pull a catalog and there’s umpteen works in a consistent style. A designer turning to my work would be engaging in a much more adventurous approach.

There’s nothing wrong with the work of either artist. I completely respect the complementary approach. What I do may be more fun, but the other way, after all, may pay the rent.

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An extra post this week; as I had three works of basically the same imagery, these last two intensely so, it seemed appropriate to exhibit them together.