[Today’s featured artwork for Day 40 of the 365 Days Project is by Rosetta DeBerardinis.]
Creation is a (seemingly) spontaneous act.
#40 – Behind every “spontaneous” brush stroke is 10,000 hours of studio time.
As a child, I thought that all acts of creation were completely spontaneous. If I wanted to dance, I’d just move my arms and legs and I could be Twyla Tharp. When I first began to draw, I thought a work of art would miraculously appear beneath my pencil. But the end results never measured up to my expectations.
That’s when I began to learn that even the simplest of drawings would require years of honing my craft. In order to achieve that level of spontaneity that is a necessary component of creation, I will have to spend long hours in the studio.
Artists make it look easy. They seem to create with such facility that it’s tempting to think anyone can do it…..until you try it yourself. Jackson Pollock’s famous “drip paintings” broke many conventions and changed the course of American art, but they are often perceived as being easy to imitate. Pollock first began putting brush to canvas twenty years before experimenting with pouring and dripping paint on the canvas. If you closely explore those paintings, you’ll see all the years of experience in the layering, color and sense of composition that were already in his psyche to inform the “spontaneity.” It’s not as haphazard as one might initially believe and that aptitude didn’t happen overnight.
The act of creation is spontaneous, but superior work requires a proper foundation.
“I am doubtful of any talent so what I choose to be, will be accomplished only by study and long work.”
Jackson Pollock
“Usually it’s a pretty calculated, sustained, and slow process by which you develop something. The effect can be one of spontaneity, but that’s part of the artistry.”
Richard Estes
“I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident.”
Jackson Pollock
“I want to own a motif so that it flows from my hands effortlessly. That way, it’s still spontaneous; I just know where I’m going.”
Peter Fiore
Rosetta DeBerardinis’ artwork can be viewed at: Rosetta DeBerardinis
Description of the images included in this post:
Macho Man
Rosetta DeBerardinis, Maryland
Acrylic, tempera, enamel
Butterflies are Free
Rosetta DeBerardinis, Maryland
Acrylic, tempera, enamel, stone
The 365 Days Project
In 2012, Serena Kovalosky committed to writing an article a day for 365 days as an exploration into the lives of artists and the value of creative thinking in our society.
Experience the full evolution of the project! Click below to read the entire collection of articles.
Leave a Reply