Detail from “Berkeley No. 33″ by Richard Diebenkorn, oil on canvas, 24″ x 29”, 1955
Even though I have spent since January painting it has really been in the past 4-6 weeks that I have done most of the work. Things have finally gotten easier. Paintings tend to almost make themselves now. After months of consistent painting I am now painting more from the feeling, more from the heart, than the mind.
The other day an artist friend stopped by the studio. We got in a conversation about marks, brushstrokes, or anything you do that leaves a paint residue on the surface.
We came to the conclusion that there are two kinds. Decorative and Soulful.
Decorative marks are easier to make and require little thinking. These often end up making the picture pretty. They are, after all, decorative. They are pleasing in general, but usually they don’t add anything hugely significant to the work. I notice if I am not paying attention I tend to mostly make decorative marks. They at first feel good but tend to lose their impact within an hour or two. Painting in a decorative way is fun, but like decorating a Christmas tree, it is only fun for about 45 minutes and you also only really need to do it once a year and then you have had your fill. A painting that is mostly made up of decorative marks is pretty for sure, but often can fall kind of flat.
Soulful marks, however, are more rare. These are harder to make and take a bit more intention. A mark that is powerful is one that is made with an awareness of the entire painting. It holds potency because it relates, it contrasts more dramatically with what is already there in the work. So in order to produce this kind of mark the artist must be paying attention, she must be thoughtful, sensitive to resisting habitual repetition, willing to try something different and to sit with a feeling of vulnerability that always comes with trying something untested. Soulful marks carry strength within them because they are made when you are not entirely sure of the outcome. You have a hunch. You are following the feeling inside you.
There is risk involved.
Marks that we make, whether decorative or soulful, are simply answers to questions we have asked ourselves in our creative process. The sum total of these answers, results in our art. Hopefully, over time, our decision-making improves, resulting in stronger artwork.
Sometimes in my life, not just my art, I see that the answer I give to any question that is important can be made either from the mind or from the heart. Often a choice to be made can mentally be a yes, have all the practical, pretty reasons to be a yes, but something inside me is quietly and persistently saying no.
From my art I have learned that decisions I make from the heart, rather than from the mind, are stronger, more enduring and more in alignment with myself.
The parallel to our art making, the decisions made, not just in our lives but also in our creative process is quite obvious. It is all about improving our mark making, more accurately responding to the important questions that arise. The more awareness, the more soul we can bring to our creative process, the stronger and more like ourselves our resulting art will become.
Do you see this in your practice? Does this relate to your life too?
Regards, Nicholas
7 Comments
Hi! I’m
Nicholas Wilton
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With over 20 years experience as a working artist and educator, I’ve developed a systematic approach that brings authenticity, spontaneity and joy back into the creative process.
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i agree, marks made in a state of attention and presence can’t be merely decorative because they are guided by inspiration. only when our mind gets in between the work and inspiration does a painting, a mark, feel soulless. I love the diebrncorn detail and feel fortunate to have seen a great show of his Berkeley year paintings a few months ago @the palm springs art museum.
Funny you wrote this today. Mark making has had me in a quandary today. I am in love with the paint. When I leave a beautiful mark behind it is so hard to cover. I am in constant fear that if I leave too many behind it will be too decorative (it usually is). The soulful marks are definitely a risk; outcome is not apparent, but you feel you have to do it. An artists ‘signature’ is carried in both types of marks.
This is, by far, one of the most beautiful article on art I read lately. Or probably what you said just resonates so deeply with me. As for me, I never quite understand what I do when I paint, it got me frustrated a lot too. Albeit my lack of experience and techniques, I believe this uncertainty is also a part of painting from the heart process. My wish is that I find, create and love my spirit deeply so I can mirror those in my paintings. Surely such paintings are not everyone’s cup of tea since they are sometimes not pretty, nor make sense. Again, thank you for so eloquently putting into words what I have ment to say.
Thank you so much for your post. Yes, your comments speak to me. Sat with Diebenkorn the other day, reading, and looking at my paintings…always the questions…..courage? intention? what to edit? spatial relationships? marks? coherence?……continuous. Agnes Martin is always close too…..
Regards, Margie
Margie, there are so many possibilities on what to edit–some are more potent–some changes make more of a difference–that is key for me trying to understand the potency of the thinking…mark making when considering the whole painting for example–glad it resonated!
Thank you, Nicholas. This is a brilliant essay on the topic we discussed in your studio Sunday. Your perspective gives a useful guide to reflect and analyze the mark making process. I observe that I live most of my life from my heart. When I make choices in life too calculated or defensively, I feel conflicted and agitated. I like to trust my heart pulls. Sometimes it is difficult, as it is a very vulnerable place to be, but somehow it is usually better.
This seems true with my art making. When I make a mark that seems superficial or decorative, or trying to be like someone else’s, it falls flat and looks trite. Oh….the parallels.
Yes, after many years of mostly creating visual artwork that is representational, this past year and a half of trying to tap into that deeper, less conscious place, although challenging, I most definitely have glimpses of touching that more soulful place…. where the work feels so much more powerful.