EWR - Me and My Art: Looking Forward, Looking Back - Part I

Looking Forward, Looking Back - Part I

      This is the name I have chosen for this next series of ElaineWeinerArt Blog articles. They are about me looking back over the last 12 to 36 months of my life...as it relates to my art.  I invite you to walk with me into the first chapter...

     If you know me, you know how much I value relationships. That is the overarching theme of my work, especially my figurative paintings. In them, I play with lost-and-found figures, edges, connections, and line.  And I make and show layers - layers of color, layers of complexity... within and outside of the figure.

     During these past 36 months, people have walked into and out of my life and my world...for various reasons. And I have walked out of some lives and entered others, as well. The cycle of life at work...choices and fate.

     If you have your parents still in your life, cherish them as much as you are able. If you now find yourself without one or both of them, treasure them and their memories in your hearts. I have lost both of my parents within this 3-year time frame and it is an often lonely and painful...and strange...time of life.

So, how does that loss figure into my painting, you ask? ...

     It figures prominently and loudly in works like "Primal Scream" and "Ancestral Whispers III" ...

Elaine Weiner-Reed - Primal Scream - 24 x 36 inches

Elaine Weiner-Reed - Ancestral Whispers III - 24 x 36 inches

     It figures more subtly and quietly in works like "Spectral Lines III."

Elaine Weiner-Reed - Spectral Lines III - 16 x 24 inches

   In these works, I explore and examine the pain, joy, memories, and connections within relationships. Through my painting process, I cry and laugh and contemplate and remember. I paint with all that I am and all that I have to give.

To move forward, we always have to understand and know 

where we came from 

and how we got to any given place in time.  

   So, please join me as I take things forward from where I am, one wonderful art-filled step at a time, living life in gratefulness and out loud!

                                 Yours in Art,

                                     Elaine

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Artists and Thoughts on Authenticity

Art is personal.

The important thing as an Artist is to be true to oneself, our own story, and our vision.

 

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWr) - Self Portrait XIII - Mixed Media (24" x 30")

My motto: "Art is an Action Word."

My promise to myself: To never decrease my time and focus on my Art.

   As Artists, we need to follow our own path at our own pace and in our own way. There are many art books, instructors, and art out there - both good, bad, and you-name-it.... Viewing other artists' work is a good thing. I have my favorite artists and generally find a new artist every year whose work intrigues me...or doesn't. As with any field, art reference, learning, and research is important: visiting galleries, reading journals, etc.  It opens our world to more possibilities. While "copying art" may sometimes be good for art students learning a craft or a technique, what truly makes a work of art stand out and take our breath away and what separates some professional Artists from others is the authenticity and evolution of their entire body of work.

We have to remember as Artists that WE are what is unique to the art and creation equation. 

The materials and brushes we use are mass-produced. 

   So, in the months and years ahead, I will continue to create from the heart and give my art all that I have. I owe it to myself...and I believe that my art legacy depends on it. Each day, I will continue to live my life, push my own limits, learn something new, laugh, and defy my own boundaries. Every day that I can paint is a very good day!

                                                                                      Yours in Art,

                                                                                             Elaine

                                                                                      Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWr)