Whenever you have a group of artists the conversation will inevitably go to technical aspects of art or philosophical discussions about art. I was at an art reception a couple of nights ago and overheard part of a philosophical discussion. The artists were saying that learning a new art medium was like changing your language.

 

I frequently have insights when I am combing my hair or brushing my teeth and that was true this morning. I think that this analogy is partly true. Certainly, when you change from oil painting to pastel, there is a lot to learn just as there is a lot to learn when I tried to learn Spanish. An artist who changes from oil paint to soft pastel has to learn about how to use new materials. Going from English to Spanish requires learning a new sentence structure and a rolling of the Rs. Learning pastel was much easier than learning Spanish for me.

 

It takes time, practice and instruction to learn a new art medium just as it does to learn a new language. It can be difficult but if you enjoy the process and have patience, then it can be done.  If you persevere, you will learn the new skill or language.

 

I was told that if you learn a new language after the age of 17, you will probably always have an accent. My observations have shown this to be true. I have friends who are fluent in English, their second language, but they still have an accent. They came to this country in their twenties and that was when they learned English. It is very difficult but not impossible to lose an accent.

 

I think that an accent in a new language is like your style in art. I know many people who are equally proficient in two or more mediums but you can hardly tell the difference in their paintings. That is because their style is evident in their work. Style includes things like choice of subject, composition, color choices, and mark making. Here is a pastel painting and an oil painting I did a couple of years apart but from the same photo reference.

 

 

Here is a soft pastel and an oil pastel of the same scene. Can you hear my accent? My style or accent is similar in oil, soft pastel, and oil pastel.

 

 

I have a friend who wants to paint "looser" but this is not her tendency. Every year she takes workshops from artists with a loose or painterly style. She can achieve this goal in the workshop. However, when she is on her own, she goes back to her usual style that is comfortable. When she is on her own, it is very difficult for her to be something she is not. It actually looks painful to see her try.

 

Our style is just who we are and should we really try to change it? I love to hear my Polish friends speak English. I love their accents.

 

We should always grow and experiment as an artist. We will evolve and become better in our craft but who we are will always come out in our work. I am currently having fun painting an abstract background trying different acrylic techniques. I can't just leave it like that. I want to paint a realistic bird on top. That is my accent coming through once again. So, I will probably break out the pastels, paint that bird and have a great time doing it!

 

Yours truly,

Sue and Suzy, an artist with a split personality