ART MAKING: embracing risk, the unexpected and seeing what happens
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- Опубліковано 4 лют 2025
- I was reading about the American abstract artist Helen Frankenthaler and came across this quote about her which I thought was brilliant.
"During a 60-year career, Frankenthaler, who died in 2011, never lost her appetite for risk. She sought out and delighted in the “productive clumsiness”, as she called it, that is inherent in learning anything new, admitting that she would “rather risk an ugly surprise than rely on things I know I can do”.
Quote from The Telegraph, 5 September 2021 article written by Lucy Davies on Helen Frankenthaler
This quote resonated with me, it contains some lovely pearls of wisdom which came as a useful reminder:
→To embrace risk in our art making
→That learning comes with inherent clumsiness
→Ugly surprises are a worthwhile end result
→The way though the clumsiness is in the doing, the more we make the less clumsy we become
→Evolving and growing in our art practice relies on us trying things we haven’t tried before and seeing what happens
Useful links:
🎨 Helen Wells’s art blog: helenwellsarti...
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![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
So funny how so many of these pages are so beautiful to me even if they aren't living up to your standards, it's all in the eye of the beholder! The colors and shapes and movement is making my eyes happy 😍
Oh thank you so much Debbie. I do agree with you, in that I do like the energy and vibrancy of starting with bold marks and playful energy, but they are starting points, spring-boards rather than finished and resolved pages... xx
Yeah, me too. I actually prefer most of them over the resolved versions. I love their energy and colours and liveliness and playfulness and looseness.
And I think it's beautiful that my love for those unfinished pieces fits so well with my own preferences towards life. My goal is often not to finish or complete or solve things. Instead, I want to explore and find new ways of doing things. Opening up possibilities instead of solving for X.
Of course it's always about what the artist is trying to do, and what they enjoy. But if you sell your art, Helen, it might be worth it to see if others are also interested in your unresolved art pieces. I think you may be surprised.
And finally, your video and art open up a lot of new avenues to me for thinking and connecting. Thank you for being amazing, and sharing a piece of your wonderful mind with us!
☘️
@@RadishTheFool oooh! Love your way of thinking!
@@debbiedrawsfunny Thank you. And I love your kindness. 😊
@@RadishTheFool 🥹💖
I’m feeling encouraged that I can be clumsy and insecure in my process and I was looking for a quote for a sketchbook page! You’re like my art psychotherapist. 😊
Oh thats so good to hear, thank you Lisa.. xx
None of that is ugly to me! Just love the colours and courage and intentions Helen. Thank you!
Yay! You’re very kind. Thank you 🙏🏼
I am so loving your intuitive prompt to making awesome juicy art. Do take us into your bewitching process. Triple thumbs up ❤
Thank you so much! That is lovely of you x
I would NEVER have thought of painting tissue paper! Brilliant idea! 💞🇦🇺📚🎨
Thanks so much! 😊 Claire. Xx
Ugly surprises becomes a really inspiring word for me… I luv this space u have created. Applause. What am I to do without you. ❤
It's a really good art philosophy I think, I find it extremely helpful. Glad you like what I share Marilyn xx
Dear Helen, your videos are always packed full of interest inspiration and enthusiasm. i can't help but pick up my sketchbook after I watch you. Your channel was one of my best finds in 2023, thank you for all your time & energy you put in to sharing and motivating us all x
Wow what a lovely thing to say! Thank you so much I’m really thrilled that you enjoy what I share. Happy creating xx
I love your updates Helen! They're a bright spot in my week and a constant source of inspiration. Another great post. Rachelle, Australia x
So relatable. That confidence crisis ... Yup, I totally get that.
Wow what a super lovely thing to say. I really appreciate it x
Your realness and willingness to share your process are so inspiring Helen! I talked about you so much to my hubby he actually watched a few of your videos and he does not do any art making at all! Also thank you for the continuing enthusiasm and inspiration
Wow Mary, how lovely you are... thank you for your enthusiasm and what a lovely hubby, he sounds ace... xx
Thank you for sharing and inspiring others!
You are so welcome! Thank you Casandra 🙏🏼
Your art is so energizing and inspirational. I needed all of your thinking and the quotes today. As a senior citizen who put much of her creative energy on hold before retirement. I find myself needing some thoughtful understanding of the why and how I do rather than just the doing. I appreciate how easily you share your thoughts Thank you
Oh Mary thank you so much for your thoughtful encouragement and appreciation. It means a lot. Wishing you every success with all your creative adventures. x
Oh! Perfect timing for me to find your video! Wanting to start on my new BIG art book, but have been holding back. Thanks for your encouragement! 😊😊😊
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching and hope you have a blast with your big art book. Love Helen
I love how your beginning pages have turned out and I have complete faith you will make it through the clumsiness beautifully. I am really looking forward to seeing more of your acrylic art. I too would like to try out more acrylic painting in my sketchbooks, but I don’t have the best set up here, hopefully watching you will give me the inspiration I need to work my way through the obstacles. Thanks for another great video.
Oh thank you, thank you Megan, thats lovely of you xx
Another wonderful visit with Helen today! I so look forward to your sharing and inspiration. Stay well my friend and much appreciation always.
Oh you're so lovely Gail, thank you for your enthusiam. So generous x
@@HelenWellsArtist ❤❤❤ you are generous my friend with your enthusiasm; knowledge and sharing
I love seeing what you have been up to Helen. I am afraid that any of my 'ugly surprises' would never find resolution!!! Your positive demeanour is so engaging and sets me up for the day. x
Oh you are lovely! Thank you so much 😊
Oh thank you Helen for this great video. I’m used to art journaling and collaging and this year I’ve decided to make my own paintings (inspired by your work !!!). So I’m totally new to this, new to acrylics, mediums etc. And I totally get what you said ! Yesterday I’ve made some really bad arts trying to add collage (what I love the most) in my paintings. It turns out awful. So your video comes to a really great point !
Good luck with all your art adventures x
Love it Helen! Beautiful surprises as always ❤️
Thank you! 🤗 Maribel x
You made my morning once again! You always inspire me to try something different! I need more time in my day!!
I'm so glad! And you’re so right there never seems ti be quite enough time for the fun stuff. Helen x
I needed to hear this today Helen. Back to studio this week and struggling to do anything that pleases me. Inspiration hasn't come back from it's Christmas break yet!😆
Oh thank you Yvonne. Good luck with all you art endeavours xx
Thanks so much for sharing the article, quotes, and your process. As a new artist, it is so helpful to hear these things…and so inspiring. ~Another Rachel, but from California. 🙂
Glad it was helpful! Rachel! That’s so kind and encouraging of you. Thank you x
wonderful
Many thanks. Helen x
I love this quote and totally agree!
Oh thats great, thank you Charlotte x
You are so wonderfully encouraging. I needed to hear this.
You are so welcome, thank you so much... wishing you every success with your are adventures...Helen x
Love this sketchbook!!❤❤❤
Oh that’s very kind of you x
your wor s so beautful. love the colors and patterns are si vivid i love them
Oh thank you so much Maria. That's so super lovely of you. x
Thank you for sharing this video, so much inspiration!
You are so welcome Arlene! Glad you enjoyed it. Helen x
Love your work and your tutorials… do you let each layer dry before starting new one? My big problem is patience,and I often muddy my colors…
Yea I do indeed leave each layer to dry. It makes a big difference. That’s also why I usually work on lots of things at once to stop me getting impatient xx
Well, hello Helen! I just discovered you and I’m delighted by your work, your approach to art making and your enthusiasm. You mentioned your gel plate in this video; do you have videos of you using it? Please say you do ;o) I searched your channel but didn’t turn up anything.
Thank you so much! I'm afraid I don't have any videos on that, I'm sorry, I'll definitely add it to my list for consideration. Thank you for your enthusiasm Lynn x
Perfect timing (your timing is always perfect!) & reading the comments we are all very much appreciating your encouragement today. A very good book you may enjoy. "Fierce Poise" by Alexander Nemerov. (Helen Frankenthaler bio)
PS I was hoping you'd open up the concertina! Looks gorgeous!
Oh lovely recommendation Michele. Thank you. Thank you 🙏🏼
I am REALLY struggling to find my style, to find the type of art and the type of materials that just set me on fire and ready to create. What can be learned by doing this? If you are not creating anything in particular or "being precious with it", then where do you take it? What is the next step?
I'm sorry you're struggling, finding a style which feels just like yours is not an easy or quick thing. So for me sketchbooks are for discovery and experimentation, I try lots of different approaches to find the ones I like and enjoy. In this one, I am not being precious in the starting layers, I want to invite in a boldness and a freshness, so I am not starting with a timid approach. Ofcourse I want my art to look.good so I become more precious as the layers add up. As I'm building up layers I am looking for clues and passages and combinations which I'm enjoying and which feel exciting to me. I'm building up layers to invite in surprises, accidents and things which I may not have done if I was trying to plan a painting from the get go. I may not start with a plan, but I am being particular in the later layers, the decisions, the edits, the subtractions and the editions are all very particular. Good luck with finding what works for you. Helen x
@@HelenWellsArtist TY!!! Your videos are always so inspiring and helpful!!
This blog post I've written about finding an art style may be of interest.:
helenwellsartist.com/blog/developing-your-own-style Helen xx
@@HelenWellsArtist I will check it out for sure, and do some playing in my sketchbook today 😀
Trusting the process feels very uncomfortable sometimes, and taking risks can dometimes be really difficult. When I'm not sure how to finish or proceed, I will often abandon those pieces for quite a while. Do you ever struggle with finishing your work?
Yes I think this is part of making art. There’s no absolutes, you only know how far to push it when you’ve pushed it too far…so I frequently abandon things, take them too far…it’s just part of it, I think. Good luck x
One of the reasons your sketchbook page may be a disappointment to you is connected to scale. If you were to see the same image as a huge painting on a gallery or museum wall you would view it very differently. In large format it would surely appear as a true work of Abstract Expressionism. Clumsy Productiveness sized up might be read as VERVE, STYLE, ORIGINALITY.
Oh I LOVE this perspective Diane, just brilliant. Thank you for sharing x
Would u care to do a video taking us thru your blob making first layer in your sketch book?
I talk a little bit about that at the end of this video ua-cam.com/video/8w6A3tagzZY/v-deo.html