Health & Fitness
A Laguna Beach Artist Finds Her Niche
This blog is the first of many that describe what it was like to grow up in Laguna Beach as an artist. Having the courage to "be me" took a while. It still does, for that matter!
As a younger artist, I envisioned myself in prestigious galleries, accepting awards from people on high. I soon lost patience with that.
When you place your well-being in the hands of others, you find yourself on a slippery slope. People are fickle. Unless you are very lucky, you find that you are in one day and out the next. Even if you are fortunate to find a loyal gallery, it is often the case that the gallery will start dictating to you what you should paint, and that usually has a lot to do with "what sold before."
That sort of thing can kill your creativity. I found that what I love most is to create exactly the kind of art that my heart desires. The local Laguna Beach festivals have served me well this way. I've been in all three of them, about 10 years each. I've had no problem finding people who love my work and buy it, and that's what matters most to me.
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I have a childlike quality to what I paint. I used to try to overcome that, but now I embrace it—I am childlike. I love to see the world through my own lens, in the way I want to see it. I like to create art that is on the whimsical side. I can copy objects almost as well as anyone, but realism is a bore to me. What I look for when I look at a painting is the unique expression of the artist herself and a spirit being conveyed. I love it when I see someone who has the courage to do something unique, but not simply for uniqueness sake.
Luckily, I am in a gallery currently that allows me to be me! The gallery is the Watercolor Gallery, one of the oldest galleries in town, run by Lucille McElroy. The Watercolor Gallery is on Coast Hwy. across from the . Lucille is a tough cookie, that's why she's lasted this long! But she is also funny and full of life.
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My worst critics in life were all in my head, but they have been replaced by a wise inner guide. Sometimes I do hear a criticism from someone else that helps me, but more often than not, I listen to what my heart tells me as far as what to do and where to go AND what to PAINT.
That inner guide is directing me very well these days. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I am listening to it more and more!
