KOOKY COMRADE POST: AUNT SUE

We all have many roles that we identify with. I think of myself as a wife and mother first, but who can call one’s self an artist? Like Michael Scott from “The Office” once boldly stated, “I declare bankruptcy.” Can I, too, simply declare myself an artist, or does my work have to sell or be displayed in a gallery or museum to be considered art?

I used to look at beautiful paintings of still lifes, landscapes and portraits and think, “I can’t do that.” Because frankly, I can’t do that. But a few years ago I fell in love with abstract art; not all abstract art, but certain pieces. Just like tall, dark and handsome might be your type, but certainly not every tall, dark and handsome guy you meet.

So one day I saw an abstract painting that I loved… it had a simple green square in the center.

This piece happened to be by the famous Georgia O’Keeffe. Many of you probably know her name, but maybe some of you don’t know why. She was an amazing American artist. She studied art in school. She spent years experimenting with styles. And she made a name for herself.

So I did what every rational person would do… I decided to try and duplicate it. However, a few things stood in my way.

1. I did not study art.
2. I did not have green paint.

What I did have was my own belief that “artist” is merely a subjective word. Oh, and I had blue paint. So blue paint it was.

Now if I had asked 10 friends if I should paint a green square or a blue square, I am sure the votes would have been about 50/50. And if I had asked my husband if I should paint a green square or a blue square, he would have said “yes,” because frankly he would not be listening and he would not want to be disturbed during the Blackhawks game.

Anyway, in this instance, color was incidental, so I went with what I had. I also love painting on canvas. It comes in so many sizes, and it’s lightweight, which makes it easy to hang.

The canvas I used was actually FREE. Someone offered me a free canvas painting, and I gladly accepted. (Of course I did.) The painting was too faded to hang as is, so I simply painted over it with a latex paint I had used on my walls.

After that dried, I pulled out various paint samples and leftovers from other projects and got creative. I actually used spray paint on the sides of the canvas and allowed the spray to drift onto the front surface of the canvas.

In the end, I enjoyed every minute of creating this fun painting for my home, and if I may… I declare myself an artist. And you should, too!

P.S. Of course you can tell this is not a Georgia O’Keeffe, but I still had fun!